.”
After pausing while the audience applauded, Bad Bunny continued: “I know it’s tough not to hate on these days, and I was thinking, sometimes we get contaminados – I don’t know how to say that in English – the hate gets more powerful with more hate.”
“The only thing that is more powerful than hate is love,” he said. “So, please, we need to be different. If we fight, we have to do it with love.”
The phrase “ICE out” has been used at protests as a call for an end to the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Bad Bunny won a total of three awards on Sunday, one of which was a history-making win for album of the year for “Debí Tirar Más Fotos (I Should Have Taken More Photos).” It is the first time a Spanish-language album has claimed the Recording Academy’s top prize.
During his emotional acceptance speech, delivered mostly in Spanish, Bad Bunny dedicated his win to “all the people who had to leave their homeland, their country to follow their dreams.”
2026 Grammy Awards underway in Los Angeles Midday Report
Bad Bunny’s comments come amid nationwide anti-ICE protests that took place over the weekend. On Friday, Bruce Springsteen made a surprise appearance at a concert organized by Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello in Minneapolis, an event that benefited the families of Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti, who were both killed by federal officers last month.
Springsteen released a song last week titled “Streets of Minneapolis,” which he dedicated to the people of Minneapolis, as well as Good and Pretti’s memory.
Other artists gets political
Billie Eilish also spoke out against ICE on stage at the Grammys, but viewers at home did not hear the full extent of her comments.
While accepting the Grammy for song of the year for “Wildflower,” Eilish, who has been an outspoken critic of actions made by ICE officials in recent weeks, said “no one is illegal on stolen land.”
“It’s just really hard to know what to say and what to do right now,” she continued, going on to encourage everyone to “keep fighting and speaking up and protesting.”
The end of her speech was bleeped by television censors but, according to video footage posted online, Eilish said, “F**k ICE.”
Earlier in the telecast, best new artist winner Olivia Dean also made a politically-tinged statement on stage.
The British singer and songwriter, who has Caribbean roots, acknowledged during her acceptance speech that she is the “granddaughter of an immigrant.”
“I’m a product of bravery, and I think that those people deserve to be celebrated,” she said. “We’re nothing without each other.”
Grammys host Trevor Noah took a more lighthearted approach to commenting on the state of the union.
During his opening monologue, he made a joke about rapper Nicki Minaj – who recently called herself President Donald Trump’s “number one fan” – was not at the Grammys because she was “still at the White House discussing very important issues.”
Trump later shared his thoughts on the telecast on Truth Social, calling the Grammy Awards “virtually unwatchable.”
Noah also did a bit with Bad Bunny prior to the musician’s win, asking if he could live in Puerto Rico if things keep getting worse in America.
“Well, I have some news for you,” Bad Bunny said. “Puerto Rico is part of America.”
A controversy-filled road to halftime
Bad Bunny’s comments will likely fan the flames of controversy that have dominated the conversation around his halftime performance since his selection was announced.
Some in conservative circles have been opposed to his appearance on sports’ biggest stage since it was announced, stemming from the fact he excluded the continental United States from his 2025-2026 concert tour, a decision he said he made out of fear that ICE could potentially raid the concert venues.
Others on the right have been critical of Bad Bunny’s music catalogue, which exclusively contains Spanish songs.
Conservative nonprofit Turning Point USA created counter-programming to Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show performance that the organisation says is more aligned with their values. The lineup of performers has not been confirmed.
2026 Grammy Awards underway in Los Angeles Midday Report
