Donald Trump lashes out at Trevor Noah over Grammy joke and threatens legal action

Trump slams Trevor Noah after the 68th Grammys

Donald Trump has fired back angrily at South African-born comedian Trevor Noah after a joke made during the 2026 Grammy Awards, accusing the host of defamation and warning that his lawyers could step in.

The US president took to his Truth Social platform on Monday to denounce Noah, branding him “poor, pathetic” and “talentless” while describing the Grammys as “virtually unwatchable.”

Trump’s outrage followed a quip delivered by Noah during the live broadcast, which appeared to link Trump and former president Bill Clinton to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

Responding directly to the implication, Trump wrote: “Wrong, I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close,” insisting he had never previously been accused of visiting the island.

The moment that sparked the backlash came shortly after Billie Eilish accepted her award.

Addressing the singer, Noah joked: “Congratulations, Billie Eilish. Wow, that is a Grammy that every artist wants, almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense. I mean, Epstein’s island is gone, and he needs a new one to hang around Bill Clinton.”

The comment drew laughter mixed with audible gasps inside the venue and quickly spread online, fuelling heated reactions, particularly from Trump supporters.

In the same Truth Social post, Trump also took aim at the awards ceremony itself, claiming CBS was “lucky” to no longer be airing the show.

He went on to compare Noah unfavourably to late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, whom he blamed for falling television ratings.

At the time of publication, neither Noah nor the Recording Academy had responded publicly to Trump’s threats.

Noah, a former host of The Daily Show, has built a reputation for blending political satire into his comedy and has frequently mocked Trump over the years.

Legal experts in the US have repeatedly noted that defamation claims involving public figures are notoriously difficult to prove, especially when the remarks in question are made within a comedic or satirical setting.

Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges, remains a highly sensitive topic in American public debate.

While several prominent figures have been socially linked to him, such connections do not imply criminal wrongdoing.

Trump has acknowledged knowing Epstein in the 1990s but has consistently denied any involvement in his crimes or visiting his private island