The 2026 Grammys proved once again why they call themselves music’s biggest night.
After an unforgettable opening performance by Bruno Mars, host Trevor Noah helped kick off the annual awards show by spotlighting all the talented stars inside the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
“The Grammys celebrates the best of all music, and when I say all music, I mean all music,” Noah shared on Sunday, February 1. “Hip-hop, country, jazz, classical, African, rock and not just music. Everything recorded is nominated and awarded by the Grammys. Audiobooks, stand-up comedy, spoken word, poetry. They even have a category for Best Voice Mail From Your Grandma. Another three-and-a-half-minute banger, grandma!”
All jokes aside, the 2026 Grammys celebrated the very best of music in the past year with special awards, unforgettable collaborations and performances that will have everyone talking for days to come.
Keep reading to see the best moments (and a few not so great ones) from the live telecast that spanned more than three and a half hours.
Best Nonstop Performances: All the Best New Artists Nominees
While there can only be one winner in the Best New Artist category — congratulations to “Man I Need” singer Olivia Dean — producers were thoughtful enough to dedicate 16 uninterrupted minutes to each of the nominees to perform one of their biggest hits of the past year.
Addison Rae kicked things off from the parking lot before Sombr ended the segment inside the Crypto.com Arena.
Worst Timing Issue: Where Are All the Awards?
Although the Grammys have nearly 95 categories, less than 10 are actually announced during the live telecast on CBS. During the first hour of the show alone, viewers only discovered the winners for Best New Artist and Best Rap Album.
Before CBS’ primetime telecast aired, talented artists like Shaboozey, Kehlani and Yungblud received trophies in a preshow ceremony held across the street at the Peacock Theater.
Best Fashion Trend: Matching Bands and Groups
While A-list artists like Kelsea Ballerini, Miley Cyrus and Karol G didn’t disappoint with their red carpet looks, fashion lovers couldn’t help but notice groups going all out on music’s biggest night with matching looks.
While Haim opted for black dresses, the ladies of Katseye chose white lace looks. Flo channeled Destiny’s Child with bold colors in purple Luar dresses. Credit also has to go to Malice and Pusha T of Clipse, who matched perfectly with Pharrell Williams.
Best Tearful Acceptance Speech: Olivia Dean
After receiving a standing ovation from the audience, Best New Artist winner Olivia Dean tearfully accepted her award.
“I never really imagined that I would be up here, let alone nominated so thank you so much,” she said while showing emotion. “I just want to say that an artist is really nothing without their team.”
While thanking her manager and family, Dean had a special message to her grandma.
“I want to say I’m up here as a granddaughter of an immigrant. I wouldn’t be here [without her],” she said. “I’m a product of bravery, and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We’re nothing without each other.”
Worst Grammys Performance Snub: Bad Bunny
Although he was a six-time nominee at the 2026 Grammys, Bad Bunny confirmed he couldn’t perform because he’ll be headlining the Super Bowl LX halftime show on Sunday, February 8.
“I was so excited to come back and host knowing that you were going to be here, but then I found out because you are doing the Super Bowl, whoever is doing the Super Bowl is contractually obligated to only do the Super Bowl so you can’t perform at the Grammys,” host Trevor Noah said. “Is that true?”
Bad Bunny replied, “I wish, but I can’t.”
Best Captivating Performance: Justin Bieber
Wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and socks, Justin Bieber returned to Grammys stage for the first time in four years.
The rare performance built excitement for his headlining set at the 2026 Coachella Music Festival in Indio, California, this April.
“The feeling in the room was amazing,” host Trevor Noah said after Bieber’s stripped-down rendition of his Grammy-nominated song “Yukon.”
Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber, was in the audience and proved to be his biggest cheerleader as she supported the singer throughout the night.
Worst Tease That Will Keep Fans Up: Sabrina Carpenter’s Performance
Don’t get Us wrong — we loved Sabrina Carpenter’s performance of “Manchild” and the epic airplane set that you only see at special events like the Grammys.
Loyal fans, however, spotted a flight schedule with a list of cities, including Las Vegas, Nashville and Miami.
The imagery quickly sparked rumors that a new tour could be on the horizon. For now, Carpenter is staying mum while fans try to spot any additional clues.
Worst Goodbye: Trevor Noah as Host
Earlier this year, Grammys executive producer Ben Winston confirmed that the 2026 telecast will be the last time Trevor Noah will serve as host before the awards show moves to Disney outlets in 2027.
“He’s so smart, so funny and such a true fan of the artists and music,” Winston told The Hollywood Reporter when confirming the news. “His impact on the show has been truly spectacular, and we can’t wait to do it together one last time.”
During his sixth and final spin as Grammys host, Noah kept the show moving with fun banter with celebrities in the audience, jokes about the most polarizing figures in Hollywood and persuading Bad Bunny to sing just a little bit from his seat. Well done, Noah.
Best Surprise Presenter: Cher
For those who were falling asleep toward the end of the show, Cher woke up the audience when she made a surprise appearance to present the winner of Record of the Year. (She was also honored with her own Lifetime Achievement Award trophy.)
After having some slight confusion over where the winner was going to be revealed, Cher discovered “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar featuring SZA was the winner. To make things even more confusing, Cher accidentally called the song “Luther Vandross” at first.
“First and foremost, let’s give a shout-out to the late great Luther Vandross,” Lamar joked when accepting the award.
Best In Memoriam Tribute: Lauryn Hill and Friends Honor D’Angelo
While Reba McEntire, Post Malone, Slash and more artists delivered as part of a star-studded In Memoriam segment, the biggest round of applause may have to go to Lauryn Hill’s tribute to D’Angelo and other artists who died in the past year.
Hill began by singing “Nothing Even Matters” before being joined by Leon Thomas, Lucky Daye, Raphael Saadiq and Bilal.
The segment also featured Jon Batiste accompanying Hill on the piano when she sang Roberta Flack‘s “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.”
The grand finale ended with Hill reuniting with Wyclef Jean to sing “Killing Me Softly With His Song.”
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