Did music’s biggest night give us the awards show that we need right now?

The best and worst moments from the 2026 Grammy Awards

Did music's biggest night give us the awards show that we need right now?

By Sydney Bucksbaum,

Sydney Bucksbaum

Sydney Bucksbaum is a staff writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2019 and is a published author. Her work has previously appeared in *TV Guide Magazine*, E! News/E! Online, *The Hollywood Reporter*, Mashable, Bustle, IGN, DCComics.com, Inverse, *The Daily Northwestern*, and more.

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Mekishana Pierre,

Mekishana Pierre

Mekishana Pierre is a news writer at **. She has been working at EW since 2025. Her work has previously appeared on *Entertainment Tonight* and Popsugar.

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Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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Tiffany Kelly

Tiffany Kelly is a staff editor at **. She has been working at EW since 2024. Her work has previously appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Wired, GQ, and Ars Technica.

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and Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff

Lauren Huff is an award-winning journalist and staff writer at ** with over 12 years of experience covering all facets of the entertainment industry.

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on February 2, 2026 1:22 a.m. ET

Cher at the 2026 Grammys. Credit:

Johnny Nunez/Getty

The 2026 Grammys kicked off with a Bruno Mars and Rosé number, a buzzy compilation of performances from Best New Artist nominees, six-time host Trevor Noah pulling out fresh zingers, and winners speaking out against ICE.

The energizing ceremony wasn't without a few awkward mishaps, though. Check out the best and worst moments from music's biggest night, below.**

BEST: The Best New Artist medley

Lola Young performs at the 68th Grammy Awards.

Kevin Winter/Getty

If you weren’t up on your feet grooving along to the near-perfect Best New Artist medley, were you even watching the Grammys?! The entire class of nominees understood the assignment, performing their breakout hit songs like seasoned veterans. Beginning with Addison Rae backstage, the medley then smoothly transitioned into onstage performances from Katseye, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren, Lola Young (in her triumphant return after a hiatus due to her health), Olivia Dean (who went on to win the award minutes later), and Sombr, with the Marias singing before host Trevor Noah introduced the segment. The only hiccup was Warren having some problems with his in-ear piece and struggling to stay on beat for a few seconds during "Ordinary," but he got back in sync before ascending over the crowd on a rising platform. *—Sydney Bucksbaum*

BEST: Travor Noah as a 6-time host

Trevor Noah speaks onstage at the 68th Grammy Awards.

Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

It's obvious why this was Trevor Noah’s sixth time as the Grammys host — he gets that music is more than just entertainment, it’s about culture and community. While some comedians focus on the jokes, Noah treated his monologue as a moment to remind fans about the people behind the headlines. He's a fan geeking out about Queen Latifah (as everyone should in front of royalty), *and* he's a comedian calling out Nicki Minaj's abrupt heel turn to MAGA Barbie. He also knows not to wear out his welcome, which is why this was his last time hosting. (He respects term limits!) —*Mekishana Pierre*

WORST: Chappell Roan struggling to read the teleprompter

Chappell Roan struggling to read the teleprompter while announcing Best New Artist at the 2026 Grammys.

Chappell Roan struggled to read another teleprompter from a big ceremony stage at the Grammys. While gearing up to announce Olivia Dean's name as 2026's Best New Artist, the "Hot to Go" singer repeated the flub she made while inducting Cyndi Lauper into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in November by taking a long pause, narrowing her eyes, and appearing to struggle to discern the next words. At least she didn't drop another F-bomb! —*Ryan Coleman*

BEST: Justin Bieber’s naked truth

Justin Bieber performs at the 2026 Grammys.

Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty

Justin Bieber gave new meaning to the term "stripped down" in his triumphant return to the Grammys stage. In his first appearance at the ceremony since 2022, he stunned viewers with a raw, vulnerable, and altogether gorgeous performance of "Yukon." And he did it in only his boxers and socks, proving that this man doesn't need much to deliver powerful art. Give him a guitar, loop pedal, and a microphone, and the 31-year-old will show you exactly why he's been a superstar for more than half his life. Now we're even more excited for his headlining Coachella set this April… bring on #Bieberchella! *—S.B.*

WORST: Jelly Roll takes us to church

Jelly Roll accepts his award at the 2026 Grammys.

Kevin Winter/Getty

Usually, seeing a winner deeply express their gratitude falls under a "best" moment, but Jelly Roll's acceptance speech for Best Contemporary Country Album quickly turned into a church sermon. Loudly, almost furiously declaring "Jesus is for everyone" with a Bible in hand, his happy moment turned oddly preachy. *—Tiffany Kelly*

BEST: Regina King’s surprise cameo

Tyler, the Creator and Regina King perform at the 2026 Grammys.

Kevin Winter/Getty

Seeing Regina King anywhere is always a pleasure, but it's especially a joy when the Oscar winner makes a surprise cameo where we least expect it! And Regina didn’t just show up in the middle of Tyler, the Creator's performance of "Thought I Was Dead/Sugar on My Tongue" — she used that iconic star power to up the ante of the whole cinematic experience. Any fan would agree that seeing King — whose kept a low profile since her son's death in 2022 — have some fun is a welcome treat. *—M.P.*

WORST: Cher deserves better

Cher accepts her Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2026 Grammys.

Johnny Nunez/Getty

If Trevor Noah hadn't announced it earlier during the ceremony, you never would have guessed that Cher was giving an acceptance speech for the receiving the night's Lifetime Achievement Award. Usually, the acceptance for such an honor is grandiose, poignant, and respected — not tacked on at the end as the show raced against clock. Maybe the rushed element of Cher's entire segment was due to her obvious reluctance to play into the whole moment, but a music legend like Cher deserved more than an awkward handoff before she was thwarted while trying to make her escape from the Grammys stage and was dragged back to read the nominees for Record of the Year, which resulted in another weird flub. *—M.P.*

BEST: Lauryn Hill’s In Memoriam tribute to Roberta Flack, D’Angelo, and more

Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, and more perform at the 2026 Grammys.

Lauryn Hill returned to the Grammys stage for the first time in 27 years, and she made sure it was unforgettable. The singer paid tribute to several performers during the ceremony's In Memoriam, but particularly to late singers Roberta Flack and D'Angelo, the latter of whom Hill personally collaborated with years ago. Hill was joined by the likes of Lucky Daye, Jon Batiste, Chaka Khan, John Legend, Leon Thomas, Raphael Saadiq, and Wyclef Jean to perform a sublime medley of some of D'Angelo and Flack's biggest hits, delivering the night's best musical number. It was a stunning tribute from greats to honor the greats. But it was also.... *—M.P.*

WORST: An extremely long In Memoriam tribute

Post Malone performs at the 2026 Grammys.

Kevin Winter/Getty

On the flip side, while the Grammys In Memoriam is, of course, an extremely important segment to honor all the music industry legends who died over the past year, the extended length of tributes in this year's awards show was just over the top. Don't get us wrong, the performances were powerful. Reba McEntire kicked it off with Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson for "Trailblazer," before Post Malone, Slash, Duff McKagan, Chad Smith, and Andrew Watt rocked Ozzy Osbourne's "War Pigs." Then, as previously noted, Lauryn Hill hosted a star-powered Fugees reunion medley with Wyclef Jean (along with Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq, Anthony Hamilton, Jon Batiste, Leon Thomas, John Legend, Chaka Khan, Leon Bridge, Alexia Jayy, Lalah Hathaway, and October London) to honor Roberta Flack and D'Angelo. But this went on for over 20 minutes! Just think of all that broadcast real estate that could have gone to performances from this year's nominees if the tributes were condensed into one medley instead of three separate (and very long) numbers. *—S.B.*

BEST: Benito for the win

Bad Bunny wins Album of the Year at the 2026 Grammys.

Kevin Mazur/Getty

Bad Bunny capped off a banner year in the most fabuloso way possible. His win for Album of the Year literally made history — it's the first Spanish-language winner in the category. The moment was clearly not lost on the Puerto Rican singer and rapper, who sat at his table, visibly tearing up in shock as everyone rose to their feet in applause around him. Then he buttoned up the moment with a perfect heartfelt speech — in Spanish, naturally. And, all of this before he's set to headline the Super Bowl halftime show (much to the apparent disappointment of President Trump), lending more gravitas to the moment, making for a true highlight of the evening. *—Lauren Huff*

**If you missed EW and PEOPLE's live red carpet show from the Grammys, check out our interview with Reba McEntire below:**

3:43 Reba McEntire Says She Has the 'Best Time' Working with Fiancé Rex Linn as They Walk the 2026 Grammys Carpet

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Original Article on Source

Source: “EW Grammys”