On Feb. 1, 2026, the 68th Annual Grammy Awards were hosted by comedian Trevor Noah for the sixth year in a row. Noah announced that this would be his last year hosting the Grammys, and said, “I believe in term limits. I want to set an example for anyone watching the show. Leave when your time is up,” one of his many jokes about Donald Trump.
Noah clearly understood that while the Grammy Awards were a time for celebrities to gather and celebrate the art that they had all created in the last year, he also knew that the ceremony carried a certain political perspective with it. Many attendees, including Kehlani, Joni Mitchell, and Justin and Hailey Bieber, wore “ICE Out” pins, silently protesting the actions of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the last few months.
In relation to these protests, many Grammy acceptance speeches included recipients speaking out against ICE’s actions and the current administration’s views on immigration. Some celebrities also took their moment to speak on other important issues, sharing their experiences, and more. Here are some of the best and most relevant acceptance speeches of the 68th annual Grammy Awards:
Bad Bunny: “Best Música Urbana Album” + “Album of the Year”
Winning two incredible awards at the 2026 Grammys for his Jan. 2025 album, “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS,” Bad Bunny made each of his speeches impactful to everyone listening. In his “Best Música Urbana Album” acceptance speech, he kept it short and sweet, starting with, “Before I say thanks to God, I’m going to say ICE out,” after which, he paused for 30 seconds of applause and a standing ovation by the entire Grammys audience. “We are not ‘savage,’ we are not ‘animals,’ we are not ‘aliens’; we are humans, and we are Americans,” he said. As almost a foreshadowing of his Super Bowl performance, he said, “The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love. So please, we need to be different – if we fight, we have to do it with love. We don’t hate them, we love our people, our family.”
For his “Album of the Year” speech, he spoke almost entirely in his native tongue, making it feel even more personal and meaningful. He opened by saying, “Puerto Rico, créame cuando te digo que somos muchos más que 100 x 35. Y no existe nada que no puedas lograr.” (“Puerto Rico, believe me when I tell you, when we’re much bigger than 100 x 35 [miles], and there’s nothing we can’t achieve”).
He thanked his mother, as well as his home, and dedicated the award to everyone brave enough to leave their country to follow their dreams. He concluded with, “A todos los latinos en el mundo entero, y a todos los artistes que tuvieron antes y merecieron estar en estar en esta tarima recogiendo este premio, muchas gracias,” (“To all the Latinos in the world and all the artists who came before and deserved to be on this stage getting this award, thank you”).
By far, Bad Bunny’s acceptance speeches combined to make the most powerful and moving speeches of the 2026 Grammys. His clear passion and emotion made every word he spoke that much more impactful, and these speeches acted as an inspiration for all who were listening.
Olivia Dean: “Best New Artist”
The winner of “Best New Artist” was Olivia Dean, the artist behind the TikTok-famous songs “Man I Need” and “So Easy.” She continued the night’s focus on speaking up for immigrants and celebrating those who are brave enough to leave their home, saying, “I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated.”
Dean’s grandmother immigrated to the UK from Guyana as part of the Windrush generation, and much of her music pays tribute to her heritage and her family. It is incredibly clear that Dean takes pride in her family and where she comes from, and she continues to be a role model for young women out in the world. Her Grammy was well-deserved, as she grows her discography and her talent along with it.
Billie Eilish: “Song of the Year”
Billie Eilish, winner of “Song of the Year” for “WILDFLOWER,” spoke about similar topics to many of the other winners that night; however, she easily got the most criticism for her speech. “No one is illegal on stolen land,” Eilish said, “I feel like we just need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting, and our voices really do matter, and the people do matter, and f*ck ICE, that’s all I wanna say, honestly.”
Despite the similarity in her speech to others’, it was still the most criticized and controversial speech given. Eilish is receiving backlash from many older conservative public figures. However, her brother seems to have some things to say about this backlash: “Seeing a lot of very powerful old white men outraged about what my 24-year-old sister said during her acceptance speech. We can literally see your names in the Epstein files.” Despite the controversy, Eilish’s speech resonated with the millions of viewers of the Grammys and is still one of the best and most impactful speeches because of it.
Every year at the Grammys, we see hundreds of celebrities gather to celebrate the world’s music. Typically, celebrities are able to use their moment on stage to share something with the public that they believe in, that they think is powerful, or to gather together to protest something going on in their country. As we saw with the 2026 Grammys, dozens of celebrities allied together to speak out against ICE, whether that was by putting themselves in the spotlight and speaking out, or silently wearing “ICE OUT” pins, every person who spoke out at the award show made their views clear, and encouraged viewers to use their own voice to share their opinions.
