Ricky Gervais Roasts Grammy Winners for Turning Acceptance Speeches into Political Forums

Comedian Ricky Gervais has criticized Grammy Award winners for using their acceptance speeches as platforms for political commentary, reigniting his longstanding critique of celebrities doing so.

After the ceremony, Gervais shared a post on X recalling his 2020 Golden Globes monologue, when he told award winners not to turn acceptance speeches into political commentary. “If you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech,” Gervais said during that Golden Globes broadcast. “You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything.”

He added, “You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg.” In the caption accompanying the reposted quote, Gervais wrote, “They’re still not listening.”

Several Grammy winners and participants made political statements during Sunday’s ceremony, particularly focused on immigration policy and criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Bad Bunny, who won the Grammy for Best Musica Urbana Album for “DeBi TiRAR MaS FOToS,” opened his acceptance speech with the phrase “ICE out.” Billie Eilish also addressed immigration during her acceptance speech after winning song of the year for “Wildflower,” stating: “No one is illegal on stolen land. It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now, and I feel really hopeful in this room. We need to keep fighting and speaking up.”

The ceremony also drew a reaction from President Donald Trump following comments made by host Trevor Noah. During the broadcast, Noah referenced Trump’s past remarks about the U.S. potentially acquiring Greenland and made a joke linking the president to Jeffrey Epstein, quipping that Trump wanted “a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

Trump responded early Monday by issuing a statement condemning the broadcast and Noah’s remark. He described the Grammy Awards telecast as “virtually unwatchable” and accused Noah of making a “false and defamatory statement.” Trump denied ever visiting Epstein’s private Caribbean island and warned that legal action would follow.