The 65th annual GRAMMY Awards marks Trevor Noah's third time as host.
Once again, Trevor Noah delivered the laughs during his opening monologue for the 2023 GRAMMYs, which marks his third time as host of the Recording Academy's annual awards show. On Sunday, the former Daily Show host took the stage at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, to kick off the primetime ceremony, before the biggest awards of the night were handed out live.
Bringing his comedic sensibilities and kind heart, Noah delivered his opening monologue right after a mesmerizing performance from Bad Bunny, and still managed to keep the energy level high and the mood elevated.
As Noah delivered a flawless monologue -- and while on-the-move, no less -- he introduced several of the big-name stars in attendance and celebrated their accomplishments.
One of the biggest moments of the night came toward the very end of the monologue, however, when he approached Adele, and explained, "This is one of the strangest things I found out -- the person that Adele has always wanted to meet but never has is Dwayne Johnson. You've never met him? And then I found out that he's a huge fan of yours, too."
"And I don't have Dwayne Johnson here tonight, but I do have someone called The Rock," Noah said, as Johnson walked up, beaming. "Adele, meet The Rock. The Rock, meet Adele. First time ever!"
Before the exciting meeting, Noah moved all throughout the audience, calling attention to some of the most accomplished artists of the year.
"Harry Styles is here tonight! What can you say about this man that hasn't been said? Incredible album, mind-blowing 15-night run at MSG," Noah said, clapping Styles on the back. "Women throw their panties at this man and then he puts them on and he looks better in them than they do. Easily the world's sexiest man. Sex symbol of the globe!"
He also poked fun at his own exit from The Daily Show while celebrating Beyonce's new album, sharing, "I was so inspired by the lyrics of 'Break My Soul,' that I actually quit my job. That's how powerful that song was."
"I just wish Beyonce had also written about the importance of having savings before you quit your job," he joked.
Prior to taking to the stage, Noah opened up about his third time hosting -- and what to expect from this year's ceremony, especially after the pandemic put a damper on the previous two years' events. "It feels like they forgot to get someone else and so they just called me again. And you know what? I don't mind that," he quipped. "I like it when people call you up by mistake. Sometimes friends do that to me, you know, they butt dial you and then you have a great conversation anyways. So, ah, yeah, no, I'm honored to be here obviously."
As for getting all the artists gathering in one place, "I think the biggest thing that makes it different this year is this is the first GRAMMYs in, going on four years, three years, where everybody is back. Everybody," he said.
"You know, the first year you had the pandemic, you know, nobody could be there, the artists were separated. People couldn't come to the show," Noah continued, reflecting on how the vibe changes when there's an audience as well as having everyone in the same place. "The fans couldn't come to the show. And the fans really make it, you know, change from an award show to a concert. I think they really transformed the evening. The second year was good, but then because it was in Vegas, some people couldn't come to it and then a lot of people's teams couldn't be there. And again, because of COVID, it was slightly not the version of the GRAMMYs that you would think it would be."
Noah then reflected on the night's biggest rivalry: Adele versus Beyoncé, especially with them both being up in the same categories they faced off in years before. "Everybody's looking at the Adele-Beyoncé rematch," he said, before joking, "That means Harry Styles is just standing here on the side ready to take it." When it comes to all the major nominees, he noted, "I don't think we've ever seen anything like this, which means the room is going to be unlike any room we've ever seen."
The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards are taking place at Crypto.com Arena and are being broadcast and streamed live on CBS and Paramount+. Follow along at ETonline.com for full coverage from music's biggest night, including performances, GRAMMY winners and more.
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