{"id":562911,"date":"2026-02-03T08:52:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-03T08:52:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/562911\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T08:52:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T08:52:16","slug":"bad-bunnys-takeover-justin-and-haileys-pda-and-the-truth-about-miley-and-gaga","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/562911\/","title":{"rendered":"Bad Bunny’s takeover, Justin and Hailey’s PDA and the truth about Miley and Gaga"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 68th Grammy Awards<\/a> took over downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night, and from the jump, this one felt louder and more pointed than in recent years. With Trevor Noah back as host, the ceremony didn\u2019t shy away from the moment we\u2019re in \u2014 politically, culturally or otherwise. Jokes landed with bite, some with audible gasps, and the room felt fully awake in a way awards shows don\u2019t always manage to be anymore.<\/p>\n

Inside the arena, it was the kind of night where big, carefully planned moments lived right alongside the unscripted ones \u2014 tech hiccups and funny slipups that somehow made the whole thing feel more human. Politics loomed large throughout the telecast, but so did music-first moments that reminded you why the Grammys still matter when they get it right. There were performances that felt intimate despite the scale, crowd reactions that didn\u2019t quite match what viewers saw at home, and a few exchanges that will almost certainly live forever online.<\/p>\n

And then there was the celebrity watching. Did Miley Cyrus shade Lady Gaga? What does a Bieber date night actually look like up close? And which star quietly pulled the most attention in the room? After six hours on the red carpet, I watched the night unfold from high in the arena, close enough to spy on the action with the help of my phone\u2019s zoom. Let me take you inside the show.<\/p>\n

One big thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s what everyone was talking and laughing about as we exited Crypto.com Arena.<\/p>\n

Cher\u2019s most delightfully chaotic moment<\/a> of the night came during the Record of the Year presentation \u2014 and it technically started earlier. After accepting her Lifetime Achievement Award and speaking about longevity, the icon turned and began walking backstage, only for Noah to call out that she still had another job to do. Despite speculation online<\/a>, that moment felt rehearsed. What came next did not.<\/p>\n

When it was time to announce the winner, Cher paused, admitted she thought the name would be on a teleprompter, then briefly announced \u201cLuther Vandross\u201d \u2014 as in the famed singer who died in 2005. Vandross inspired Kendrick Lamar and SZA\u2019s \u201cLuther,\u201d which was the actual winner for Record of the Year. Cher corrected herself, but it could barely be heard over laughter and applause as the winners made their way to the stage.<\/p>\n

\"Cher<\/p>\n

Cher accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award during the 68th Grammy Awards. No one was ready for what came next. (Chris Pizzello\/AP)<\/p>\n

(Chris Pizzello\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

The room loved it. The crowd cracked up, especially my section, with whispers of \u201cBest part of the night,\u201d \u201cWe deserve a little levity\u201d and \u201cOh my God, this is instantly classic.\u201d Even better, the team behind the song leaned in. Producer Sounwave opened his speech with, \u201cFirst and foremost, let\u2019s give a shout-out to the late, great Luther Vandross,\u201d before Lamar walked onstage, laughing, and summed it up perfectly: \u201cThis is what music is about.\u201d<\/p>\n

One political thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

From his opening monologue<\/a> on, Noah made it clear he wasn\u2019t tiptoeing around the political climate the way some recent awards shows have. One of the biggest laughs came at the expense of Nicki Minaj, who\u2019s become one of President Trump\u2019s most vocal celebrity supporters. \u201cShe is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues,\u201d Noah joked, before continuing in a Trump impression: \u201cActually, Nicki, I have the biggest ass. Everybody\u2019s saying it. … Look at it, baby: WAP, WAP, WAP.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Host<\/p>\n

Trevor Noah did not hold back in terms of politics while hosting the Grammys for the last time. (Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for the Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

(Kevin Winter via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

But the line that drew more gasps than laughs came later, after Billie Eilish won Song of the Year. \u201cThat\u2019s a Grammy every artist wants \u2014 almost as much as Trump wants Greenland,\u201d Noah said, before adding, \u201cWhich makes sense, because since Epstein\u2019s gone, he needs a new island to hang out with Bill Clinton.\u201d<\/p>\n

Noah capped it with a shrug to the audience: \u201cI told you, it\u2019s my last year! What are you gonna do about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

As it turns out, Trump\u2019s answer appears to be: threaten to sue<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One misunderstood thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Did Miley Cyrus really diss Lady Gaga? I\u2019m making the case for: no.<\/p>\n

A video circulated online<\/a> of Cyrus seemingly looking bitter and not clapping after Lady Gaga beat out the former Disney star for Best Pop Vocal Album. I\u2019m not sure exactly how it was cut on TV, but I have video of the whole crowd \u2014 Cyrus included \u2014 when Lady Gaga\u2019s name was announced. Cyrus clapped right away. She actually clapped a lot as Gaga made her way up to the stage. She may not have stood up, but honestly, she didn\u2019t stand a ton throughout the ceremony. Maybe her shoes were uncomfortable. Let\u2019s give the girl a break.<\/p>\n

\"Lady<\/p>\n

Lady Gaga shares a moment with fianc\u00e9 Michael Polansky at the Grammys. (Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for the Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

(Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)One thing that wasn\u2019t on TV<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Biebers are Little Monsters.<\/p>\n

Justin, Hailey and Lady Gaga shared a sweet moment away from prying eyes. (OK, most prying eyes.) Admittedly, I got turned around trying to get from the red carpet inside Crypto.com and ended up in a holding area for celebrities before they hit the photo pit. I saw the trio run into each other and they seemed so happy to catch up before the craziness got going. I saw the couple give Gaga some kind of compliment (on her outfit? already picking up two Grammy Awards?) and the songstress just said, \u201cThank you so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

One couple\u2019s thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking of the Biebers, there\u2019s always so much noise<\/a> around them. Read any headline or blog and it seems like they\u2019re perpetually in a \u201crough patch.\u201d One lip-reader<\/a> even claimed they were testy on the red carpet, their first in four years. Well, I watched them most of the night, and it felt less like a spectacle and more like seeing one of my friends out on a date. Sorry to the haters, but they seemed happy and … normal?<\/p>\n

Inside the show, Justin wasn\u2019t shy about showing PDA. He put his arm around Hailey\u2019s back multiple times, and the couple shared quiet, intimate moments, leaning in to whisper to each other throughout the night. It was also clear Justin was a little nervous \u2014 these high-profile awards shows don\u2019t exactly seem to be in his comfort zone \u2014 and he visibly relied on Hailey for grounding.<\/p>\n

During his performance of \u201cYukon,\u201d which was a standout moment of the night, watching Hailey sway, sing along and smile at a song written about her was genuinely sweet. I\u2019m pretty sure they left after his awards category, only to hit an afterparty together. Sorry, haters, but they seem solid.<\/p>\n

\"Hailey<\/p>\n

Hailey and Justin Bieber inside the Grammys. (Kevin Mazur\/Getty Images for the Recording Academy)<\/p>\n

(Kevin Mazur via Getty Images)One weird thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

When Alex Warren performed his hit song \u201cOrdinary\u201d as part of the Best New Artist medley, there was a brief technical glitch, apparently due to a problem with his earpiece. Inside the arena, though, it was barely noticeable. If anything, Warren \u2014 whose breakout song was snubbed from the Grammys\u2019 major categories \u2014 seemed to get the last laugh. Of all the Best New Artist nominees, he arguably had the biggest production moment, glitch aside, literally ascending into the air as the crowd not only sang along, but shouted along, belting out every word. It was a moment Cyrus really seemed to enjoy. If Warren was rattled, he didn\u2019t show it, blowing kisses to the crowd afterward \u2014 then addressing the mishap on social media later.<\/p>\n

One loud thing<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bad Bunny used his first televised win of the night to send a political message, and the crowd overwhelmingly responded. \u201cBefore I say thanks to God, I\u2019m gonna say: ICE out,\u201d he declared onstage as he accepted the award for Best M\u00fasica Urbana Album. The response in the room was almost deafening and certainly louder than you heard at home, as the crowd stood and cheered for more than 25 seconds. Every star, from Reba McEntire to Pharrell Williams to Cyrus, was on their feet.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not savage, we\u2019re not animals, we\u2019re not aliens,\u201d he continued. \u201cWe are humans and we are Americans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bad Bunny won a total of three awards on Sunday, including the Recording Academy\u2019s highest honor, Album of the Year.<\/p>\n

Oh, and if there was any doubt: Bad Bunny was the biggest star in the room. Everyone \u2014 and I mean everyone \u2014 wanted a moment, with celebs constantly stopping by to say hello (Cyrus! Gaga! Hailey!). Every time he won, the arena erupted. Next up, he\u2019ll be performing at the NFL Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 68th Grammy Awards took over downtown Los Angeles on Sunday night, and from the jump, this one…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":562912,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[71844,171,1936,29885,26079,190509,49244,245032,10239,1807,93598,243020,181253,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-562911","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-bad-bunny","9":"tag-entertainment","10":"tag-getty-images","11":"tag-hailey-bieber","12":"tag-justin","13":"tag-kevin-winter","14":"tag-lady-gaga","15":"tag-luther-vandross","16":"tag-miley-cyrus","17":"tag-president-trump","18":"tag-recording-academy","19":"tag-the-grammys","20":"tag-trevor-noah","21":"tag-united-states","22":"tag-unitedstates","23":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116005853529960952","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562911","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=562911"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/562911\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/562912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=562911"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=562911"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=562911"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}