US Politics
Trump threatens Trevor Noah with lawsuit over ‘Epstein island’ gag at Grammys
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President Donald Trump is threatening to sue comedian Trevor Noah over a “garbage” joke about “Epstein island” at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.
In an overnight post on Truth Social, he lashed out at the six-time host as a “total loser” who “better get his facts straight, and get them straight fast.”
Trump was the target of several jibes by Noah over the course of Sunday’s awards ceremony, and before the ‘Song of the Year’ winner was named, he quipped: “Song of the Year – that is a Grammy that every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”
When some in the audience gasped, Noah responded: “Oh I told you it’s my last year! What are you going to do about it?”
Trump’s past friendship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been well-documented, but the pair parted ways before the billionaire financier was convicted. While Trump traveled on Epstein’s private jet a handful of times, there is no suggestion he ever went to Little Saint James in the Caribbean. The island is believed to be the base of Epstein’s sex trafficking operation.
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“Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!! I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media,” Trump wrote in his social media post.
“It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$.”
The president also blasted Noah and the Grammys with a slew of insults, describing the host as “almost as bad as Jimmy Kimmel at the Low Ratings Academy Awards,” and the awards themselves as “the WORST, virtually unwatchable!”
“CBS is lucky not to have this garbage litter their airwaves any longer,” he added, a reference to next year’s move for the Grammys to instead be broadcast on ABC.
Noah was unsparing in his swings at Trump and his MAGA allies during his opening monologue, joking that rapper Nicki Minaj – who has never won a Grammy, despite being nominated 12 times – had skipped the ceremony because she was still at the White House “discussing very important issues.”
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The audience at the star-studded event laughed and cheered in response to Noah’s joke, with Chrissy Teigen giving a thumbs-up to the camera.
Trump threatened in his Truth Social post that he would have the last laugh, warning Noah that other TV channels and presenters hadn’t fared well against his legal action and regurgitating an insulting nickname for ABC host George Stephanopoulos.
“Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out. Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I’m going to have some fun with you! President DJT.”
Noah is yet to respond to Trump’s threat, but California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who frequently parodies the president’s outbursts on social media, jibed back with a mock press statement.
“I CAN’T BELIEVE VERY TALENTED ARTISTS LIKE KID ROCK AND NICKI MINAJ WERE SNUBBED AGAIN AND WILL BE WALKING HOME WITH ZERO (0) GRAMMYS,” Newsom wrote on X in all caps, as Trump himself often does.
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“THE HATERS WILL SAY THEY ARE “TRASH” ARTISTS WHO ARE JUST DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION. WRONG!!! THEY ARE OKAY ARTISTS WHO ARE DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION. THEIR RECENT PR “PERFORMANCES” ARE STRONG ENOUGH TO EARN A PARTICIPATION PRIZE AT MINIMUM.
“BECAUSE THE GRAMMYS FAILED, I WILL BE AWARDING KID AND NICKI THE CALIFORNIA MUSIC PARTICIPATION PEACE PRIZE (AT THE NEWSOM KENNEDY CENTER), A VERY PRESTIGIOUS AWARD DECIDED BY MY “PEACE” BOARD, WHICH I ALONE APPOINT. THIS RESTORES FAIRNESS TO MUSIC.
“THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER. —GOVERNOR GCN.”
Trump has a long history of threatening legal action against media companies and personalities for coverage he doesn’t like, targeting organizations such as ABC, the BBC, The New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal, among others.
Some have chosen to make large out-of-court financial settlements rather than tangle with the president in court.
