On Feb. 1, 2026, the 68th Annual Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles. The all-day event consisted of glamorous outfits, lots of political statements and both snubbed and deserving artists.
The Grammys always consist of two separate award ceremonies: a pre-telecast premiere ceremony and the main televised ceremony. A lot of the time, the televised version features around 15 awards. This year however, only featured nine, making the three-and-a-half-hour show mostly performances and advertisements.
“This year marks the first time the televised ceremony has been reduced to such a minimal slate – a move that many fans say strips the show of its purpose,” Nicole Chenoweth, entertainment editor for The U.S. Sun, said.
“The Recording Academy has previously defended the Premiere Ceremony format, saying it allows winners more time to give speeches and celebrate categories that might otherwise be rushed during the live broadcast,” Chenoweth said.
With that being said, the televised broadcast still contained many memorable moments. The big winners of the night were Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Lamar went home with five awards, including Best Rap Album, Record of the Year, Best Rap Song, Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Performance.
Bad Bunny left with the biggest award of the night, Album of the Year, for his album “Debí Tirar Más Fotos,” becoming the first Latin artist to win this award. He also won Best Música Urbana Album and Best Global Music Performance. Due to his halftime show contract for Superbowl LX, Bad Bunny did not perform at the awards, despite many jokes from host Trevor Noah begging him to perform.
In his acceptance speech for the Best Música Urbana Album, Bad Bunny called out Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE Out,” he said. “We’re not savage, we’re not animals, we’re not aliens. We are humans and we are Americans.”
Despite the large number of performances this year, there were plenty of standout acts. One of which consisted of a continuous performance from all the Best New Artist Nominees: Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, Alex Warren, Addison Rae, Leon Thomas, Lola Young and Sombr. Despite technical difficulties, this performance was an impressive compilation and showcased the artists well. Olivia Dean took the title home, presented to her by 2025 recipient Chappell Roan.
“I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” Dean said while accepting the award. “I’m a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”
Throughout the whole evening, political stands were taken. Many artists were seen wearing “ICE OUT” pins, including Hailey and Justin Bieber, Carole King, Olivia Rodrigo and Kehlani. Dean and Bad Bunny weren’t the only artists to call out ICE in their speeches; Billie Eilish, SZA and Kehlani also shared a message while accepting their awards for Song of the Year (Eilish), Record of the Year ( Lamar and SZA), Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song (Kehlani).
“No one is illegal on stolen land,” Eilish said. “It’s just really hard to know what to do and what to say right now and I just feel really hopeful in this room, and I just feel like we need to keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”
The night was heavily centered around political remarks from Trevor Noah, including jokes about President Donald Trump wanting to buy Greenland, Nicki Minaj not being in attendance and the United States falling apart. This was the last time Noah hosted the Grammy Awards after six consecutive years of hosting. The next host has not yet been announced.
This year featured acts from first-time performers such as Reba McEntire, as well as a performance from Lauryn Hill, who has not performed at the awards since 1999. Hill, McEntire and Post Malone honored those who passed last year, highlighting artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, D’Angelo, Roberta Flack and many more.
Overall, the 2026 Grammy Awards were a memorable and somewhat chaotic night, like most award shows are. No artist swept every award, and despite an impressive night for Lamar, there was a lot of diversity in the winners of the top categories.
