From Billie Eilish to Lady Gaga, via Kehlani, the 2026 edition of the Grammy Awards brought us its share of LGBT triumphs. Donald Trump likely didn’t enjoy the ceremony as much, which was largely dominated by speeches against his immigration police, ICE, criticized notably by the evening’s top winner, Bad Bunny.
“Before thanking God, I will say: let’s get ICE out of here!” The words of the Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny, crowned this Sunday, February 1 by three Grammys including Best Album of the Year (the first time for an album in Spanish), summarize the tone of the night, during which several artists spoke out to denounce the immigration crackdown carried out, under the aegis of Donald Trump, by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) police. “We are not savages, the singer emphasized with emotion. We are not animals. We are not foreigners. We are humans and we are Americans.”
View this post on Instagram
After winning the Grammy for Song of the Year for the track “Wildflower,” Billie Eilish also leaned into a thank-you speech in the form of a call to action: “No one is in an illegal situation on stolen land. (…) We simply have to keep fighting, to speak up and to protest. Our voices really matter, people really matter. Fuck ICE!” British singer Olivia Dean, crowned Best New Artist, highlighted her origins to denounce the anxious climate in America: “I am here as the granddaughter of immigrants. I would not be here without them. I am the product of their courage and I think these people deserve to be celebrated.”
Gaga salutes Bad Bunny
In the night’s queer lineup, Lola Young also won the Grammy for Best Solo Performance for her track “Messy,” while Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande earned Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their rendition of “Defying Gravity” in Wicked. Kehlani scored a double win for her post-breakup hit “Folded,” named Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song of the Year. In a related vein, Durand Bernarr grabbed the Grammy for Best Progressive R&B Album for “Bloom.” Doechii took home the Best Music Video award for “Anxiety,” and the British artist Yungblud snagged the Grammy for Best Rock Performance for his live rendition of “Changes” at Villa Park.
Finally, Lady Gaga matched Bad Bunny’s tally with three wins as well. Not content with delivering a stunning rendition of her hit “Abracadabra,” which earned Best Dance Recording and Remix of the Year for the version with Gesaffelstein, Mother Monster also took home the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Mayhem.” As the ceremony ended, she did not hesitate to applaud Bad Bunny’s victory and his speech: “I found what he said to be incredibly important today and so inspiring. What’s happening in our country breaks my heart. We are lucky to have figures like him who speak out for what is true and right.”
