Bad Bunny and Olivia Dean have been among the many winners at Sunday night time’s 2026 Grammy Awards who used the platform to talk out in help of immigrants amid ongoing backlash to the Trump administration’s immigration coverage and mass deportation marketing campaign.
When singer Olivia Dean received the very best new artist award throughout Sunday’s ceremony, the British singer-songwriter famous her family’s immigrant historical past.
“I am up right here as a granddaughter of an immigrant,” stated Dean, whose father is British and whose mom is of Jamaican and Guyanese heritage, according to The New York Occasions. “I am a product of bravery, and I believe these folks need to be celebrated … we’re nothing with out one another.”
Olivia Dean accepts the Finest New Artist award throughout the 68th Grammy Awards, February 1, 2026 in Los Angeles.
Kevin Winter/Getty Photographs
Simply moments later, Unhealthy Bunny obtained a standing ovation from the star-studded crowd contained in the Crypto.com Area in Los Angeles when he started his acceptance speech for greatest música urbana album with a name to take away U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement from U.S. cities.
“Earlier than I say due to God, I will say ICE OUT,” he stated. “We’re not savages, we’re not animals. We’re people, and we’re Individuals.”
The Puerto Rican artist, who additionally received the night time’s greatest award, album of the yr, went onto name on folks to struggle hate with love.
“The hate will get extra highly effective with extra hate. The one factor that’s extra highly effective than hate is love,” he stated. “So please, we have to be totally different. If we struggle, we’ve to do it with love. We do not hate them — we love our household. Do not forget it. That is how we do it, with love.”
Throughout his album of the yr acceptance speech in Spanish, Unhealthy Bunny devoted the award “to all of the folks that needed to depart their homeland, their nation, to comply with their goals.”
Unhealthy Bunny accepts the award for Finest Musica Urbana Album throughout the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, in Los Angeles, February 1, 2026.
Daniel Cole/Reuters
The Grammy winner is scheduled to be the halftime performer at subsequent week’s Super Bowl, a efficiency that has already been met with controversy due to his heritage.
Unhealthy Bunny sings virtually solely in Spanish and is predicted to carry out in Spanish throughout the Tremendous Bowl halftime occasion.
When his choice was introduced, some conservative critics cited his Spanish language music and performances and his outspoken support of immigrants within the U.S. amid ICE crackdowns as causes he mustn’t have been picked for the halftime present.
Since then, the controversy round immigration has solely heightened, most not too long ago following the deaths of Minneapolis residents Alex Pretti and Renee Good final month by the hands of federal agents amid anti-ICE protests.
A number of stars together with Hailey and Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, and Carole King wore “ICE Out” pins to the Grammys on Sunday.
When Eilish accepted her tune of the yr award throughout Sunday’s ceremony, she too used her acceptance speech to talk out on immigration.
Finneas O’Connell and Billie Eilish settle for the Tune Of The Yr award for “Wildflower” throughout the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, February 1, 2026 in Los Angeles.
Kevin Winter/Getty Photographs
“Nobody is illegitimate on stolen land,” Eilish stated in her speech, a few of which was censored, seemingly resulting from profanity.
“It is simply actually laborious to know what to say and what to do proper now,” the “Wildflower” singer continued. “And I simply I really feel actually hopeful on this room, and I really feel like we simply must maintain preventing and talking up and protesting, and our voices actually do matter, and the folks matter.”
Later within the present, Harvey Mason, Jr., president and chief govt officer of the Recording Academy, which presents the Grammys, spoke concerning the energy of music in instances of disaster, saying, “When phrases fail, music speaks.”
SZA, whereas accepting the Grammy for report of the yr alongside Kendrick Lamar, advised folks to have hope.
Kendrick Lamar and SZA settle for the Document Of The Yr award for “Luther” as presenter Cher watches throughout the 68th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, February 1, 2026.
Kevin Winter/Getty Photographs
“Please do not fall into despair. I do know that proper now’s a scary time. I do know the algorithms inform us that it is so scary, and all is misplaced,” she stated. “However there’s been world wars, there’s been plagues, and we’ve gone on. We will go on.”
The singer added, “We want one another. We have to belief one another and belief ourselves. Belief your coronary heart. We’re not ruled by the federal government. We’re ruled by God.”
