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Grammys host Trevor Noah on what makes his role “particularly nerve-wracking”
As a comedian, Trevor Noah is no stranger to crowd work. But even he admits he has some nerves about the audience he’ll face at his upcoming gig: The Grammys.
Noah is hosting the Grammy Awards for the fourth consecutive year on Sunday. The former “The Daily Show” host said he loves the unpredictability of the show.
“I don’t know what’s going to happen. So that’s what I love about the Grammys is it’s live; it’s happening; it’s on the fly,” Noah told “CBS Mornings” co-anchor Gayle King in an interview for the show’s “Road to the Grammys” series.
Preparing to host the Grammys
Unlike comedian Jo Koy who was tapped to helm the Golden Globes for the first time earlier this month on short notice, Noah has had some experience leading a star-studded ceremony. However, Noah still has concerns just like any other host.
“Here’s the thing about award shows is everybody loves the joke when it’s not about them, and your goal and your hope is to tell a joke about the person that they also think is funny. So it’s difficult. And I think every comedian understands this,” Noah explained. “I think what makes the Grammys particularly nerve-wracking for me is like, these are superstars. Yeah. These are like, I don’t wanna get on the wrong side of Taylor Swift fans. So you’re trying to walk this fine line of being, you know, the comedian, but then also, still being nice about the night.”
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When Noah takes the microphone Sunday, the 39-year-old said, “there’s no rule” and no guarantee every joke will strike gold.
“I never take it for granted. I am never not nervous. It is. Think of this moment. Everybody’s there. You have an idea of what you would like to do. You’ve never practiced this with them,” he explained.
He continued, “Some people are having a good night, some people are not having a good night. You don’t know how it will go. And as the night progresses, the mood changes. And how does that mood affect the comedy? You don’t know.”
Noah described what the adrenaline rush feels like, comparing it to driving a fast car on a racetrack, bungee jumping or even going in for a first kiss on a date.
“Yeah. It’s nervous, but it’s exciting and you hope it ends well,” he said.
Noah’s Grammy nomination
While Noah is honored to be named host, he’s also excited to be a nominee. He was nominated for Best Comedy Album for “I Wish You Would,” alongside comedians Wanda Sykes (“I am an Entertainer”), Sarah Silverman (“Someone You Love”), Chris Rock (“Selective Outrage”) and Dave Chappelle (What’s in a Name?”).
“Who are you rooting for?” King asked Noah after reading the list of his fellow nominees.
“You know what I’m gonna say. I’m rooting for me. Yes. I, uh, I think me has done a very good job with this special,” joked Noah, who made history at the Emmys last month when he became the first Black person to win for Outstanding Talk Series.
Noah said he’s humbled and couldn’t “ask to be in a better group of comedians.”
“Can I tell you every single time… Every single time those names are read out. Yes. I always have to take a moment because I sometimes forget that just a few years ago, I was in South Africa doing comedy in places nobody knew of with comedians that nobody’s heard of,” Noah said. “Yeah. All of us having a great time watching every single comedian you’ve said on that list.”
The Grammy Awards will return to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4, 2024, with the show airing live on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
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Trump rails against Jewish Americans who don’t vote for him in speech focused on antisemitism
Washington, D.C. — Former President Donald Trump criticized Jewish Americans who don’t vote for him in speeches aimed at addressing antisemitism Thursday night in Washington D.C., while claiming that if he is not elected in November, Israel would be “eradicated.”
“If I don’t win this election, and the Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens, because at 40%, that means 60% of the people are voting for the enemy,” Trump said.
Trump made the comments during a small event focused on addressing antisemitism with Dr. Miriam Adelson, a prominent Republican Party donor and the widow of late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.
“With all I’ve done for Israel, I received only 24% of the Jewish vote,” Trump said.
Trump later repeated the comment regarding the polls during remarks at the Israeli-American Council National Summit, which was gathering to commemorate the nearing one-year mark of the October 7 attack.
“You should have your head examined, because it will face an unceasing, bloody war to obliterate the Jewish state and drive Jews out of the Holy Land,” Trump said about Jewish Americans who vote for Democrats. He claimed at his first stop that Democrats have a “hold” or “curse” on Jewish voters.
“It’s only because of the Democrat hold or curse on you. You can’t let this happen. 40% is not acceptable, because we have an election to win,” Trump said.
Trump told the ballroom full of Israeli-Americans tonight that Israel will face “total annihilation” if Vice President Kamala Harris is elected.
“Rockets will rain down from above until the Iron Dome has been exhausted,” Trump said.
CBS News has reached out to the Harris campaign for comment.
The former president also recognized the Israelis still held hostage by Hamas, vowing to “get them out” if he wins the presidency in November. Family members of victims of the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas were among the crowd.
“Somehow it’s going to work out. We’re going to get it to work out,” Trump said.
The twin speeches come as Trump tries to court Jewish American voters who may have become disaffected with factions of the Democratic Party over the Biden administration’s handling of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
An April 2024 Pew Research survey found that 69% of registered Jewish voters defined themselves as Democrats, while 29% said that they consider themselves Republicans, but Trump grew his support among Jewish voters in the first two presidential elections he ran in, an Associated Press survey found.
“Honestly, I went from 25 to 29 [percent support], and based on what I did, and based on my love of- the same love that you have, I should be at 100. I should be at 100,” Trump said Thursday.
Using a similar format to her former long-running talk show, Oprah Winfrey hosted a campaign event with Vice President Kamala Harris in suburban Detroit Thursday evening which featured a mix of celebrities, campaign organizers and a crowd of battleground state voters.
The event in Farmington Hills, Michigan — which had an in-person crowd of a few hundred and also featured virtual attendees — opened with talk of a “new day” and the sense of “joy” Democrats have associated with the Harris campaign. But the conversation later steered towards issues featuring personal, intimate stories of people impacted by state abortion bans and school shootings.
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The parents of Natalie Griffith, a 15-year-old injured in the deadly Apalachee High School shooting earlier this month in Winder, Georgia, spoke. Griffith’s mother, Marilda, made an emotional plea for a “change to be made” to address gun violence. Her father, Doug — who noted that he was not a registered Democrat — called for metal detectors to be placed inside schools.
Harris did not explicitly say if she agreed with the call for metal detectors, but said “we just need to apply common sense.” She repeated her calls for an assault weapons ban and universal background checks. When Winfrey made note of Harris being a gun owner, as she revealed in prior campaigns and repeated in her debate with Trump, Harris said that “if somebody breaks into my house, they’re getting shot.”
“Sorry, probably should not have said that,” Harris joked. “My staff will deal with that later.”
The mother and sisters of Amber Thurman — a Georgia woman who died in 2022 after medical care was delayed due to the state’s abortion ban — also spoke for the first time publicly since the ProPublica report about Thurman was released.
“I’m beyond hurt, disappointed…we trusted them to take care of her, you know?” said CJ, Thurman’s sister. “And they just let her die because of some stupid abortion ban. They treated her like she was just another number.”
Harris called Thurman’s death “preventable,” and as she has throughout her campaign and vice presidency, blamed former President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court appointments for leading to the overturning of Roe v. Wade. She also criticized states with abortion restrictions but have exceptions “to save the life of the mother,” arguing it should not reach that point.
“So is she on death’s door before you actually decide to give her help, Is that what we’re saying?” Harris asked. “Like, literally, a doctor or a nurse has to say, ‘She might die any minute, better give her care.'”
Hadley Duvall, a Kentucky woman who was impregnated by her father at 12-years-old and was able to get an abortion, also spoke. Duvall had been featured in several of Harris’ campaign ads, and also spoke at the Democratic National Convention.
The event was livestreamed and conducted in an interview-style discussion similar to Winfrey’s old talk show. It was billed as a way to bring together many pro-Harris coalitions, including “Win with Black Women,” “White Dudes for Harris” and “Swifties for Harris.”
All are groups that have been holding Zoom conference calls to raise money for Harris’ campaign and mobilize voters. Harris campaign advisers saw the event as a way to reach persuadable voters, and Winfrey often structured her questions to be geared towards undecided voters.
Several celebrities also appeared by video, including Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jennifer Lopez, Julie Roberts, Tracee Ellis Ross, Bryan Cranston and Meryl Streep.
Earlier Thursday, Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley panned the event, saying in a statement that Harris was campaigning with “an out-of-touch celebrity, further confirming that the Democrat party is not the party of hardworking Americans – it is the party of elitists.”
Streep asked Harris what her plan would be if she wins in November and there is another push to try and overturn the election results, as Trump and some Republicans are criminally charged with allegedly doing in 2020.
“We will be ready,” Harris said, pointing to Republicans disaffected by the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection that may vote for her. “To try and upend a free and fair election where the American people voted, that was a bridge too far for a lot of people…I think there is absolutely no tolerance whatsoever from the vast majority of Americans for that, and they’ve seen the lies.”
Harris made a quick reference to her campaign’s legal team, and pleaded for the audience to help curb misinformation and support poll workers.
Winfrey, an independent who has endorsed Harris and spoke at the DNC last month, closed the program with a call to undecided voters to choose Harris.
“This is the moment for people who are tired of all of the bickering and all of the name calling, people who are exhausted by the craziness and the made up stories and the conspiracies. This is the moment you want to get on with your life, because you know that we can do better and that we deserve better.”
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