Bad Bunny Makes History and Everyone Got Political at the 2026 Grammys

By Kayleigh Donaldson | Celebrity | February 2, 2026

Header Image Source: Matt Winkelmeyer via Getty Images for The Recording Academy

The 68th Grammys took place in L.A. last night. Trevor Noah hosted for what he said would be the final time, Kendrick Lamar broke a record, Lauryn Hill was on time, Bad Bunny made history, and everyone hated ICE. All in all, it was a solid night.

Kendrick took home five trophies, including Record of the Year for 'Luther' (alongside SZA) and Best Rap Album for GNX. He's now the most awarded rapper in Grammys history, overtaking Jay-Z. Cher accidentally announced Luther Vandross as the winner of Record of the Year. In fairness, he probably should have had a posthumous trophy for 'Luther.'

But Album of the Year went to Bad Bunny. Debí Tirar Más Fotos became the first entirely Spanish album to win the title, beating the likes of Lady Gaga, Tyler the Creator, and Justin Bieber. It was clearly an emotional moment for Bad Bunny, who dedicated his win to the immigrants who 'leave their home, land, their country, to follow their dreams.' He was one of many winners who took the opportunity to get political, calling out ICE and anti-immigrant cruelties. Bad Bunny said, 'Before I say thanks to God, I'm going to say ICE out [...] We're not savages, we're not animals, we're not aliens, we are humans and we are Americans.'

Billie Eilish won Song of the Year for 'Wildflower' and called out how 'Nobody is illegal on stolen land.' This is Billie's third Song of the Year win of the decade. British singer Olivia Dean, who was named Best New Artist, thanked her grandmother, who was part of the Windrush generation, saying, 'I'm a product of bravery and I think those people deserve to be celebrated. We're nothing without each other.' Calling out ICE was a welcome running theme of the night. Trevor Noah got in some good digs at Trump and Nicki Minaj, and both of those losers responded as you'd expect them too.

FKA Twigs won her first-ever Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album with Eusexua. Lady Gaga added another trophy to her crowded cabinet for 'Abracadabra', and The Cure and Nine Inch Nails did well in rock categories. Sinners now has two Grammys, the Dalai Lama has one too. How close is he to the EGOT?

It was a night of gorgeous in memoriam performances. Lauryn Hill paid her respects to Angie Stone, Roberta Flack and R&B star D'Angelo. Reba McEntire played 'Trailblazer'. Bruce Springsteen recorded a special tribute to Beach Boys star Brian Wilson, while Chaka Khan eulogised funk legend Sly Stone. Ozzy Osbourne got a metal tribute with an all-star band featuring Slash, Chad Smith, and Post Malone.

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The Grammys are an odd duck. They have so many awards and you'd think it'd be tough for them to displease anyone with such range and yet they frequently get lazy. A lot of ground-breaking artists get overlooked and they love to award the same people over and over. 'Grammys bait' isn't as fully defined a concept as Oscar bait, but you can usually tell what kind of works the Recording Academy prefers. They love nostalgia, duets involving up-and-comers and established icons, and easy listening. They also don't tend to pay much attention to non-English artists outside of their specific genres. Yet this year, Bad Bunny was too big a phenomenon to ignore. Really, he's been too big to ignore for years now, but clearly, even the Grammys knew it was time. And even their designated faves like Kendrick and Billie are good choices because the work was there and they dominated 2025 in different ways (it's still weird that Kendrick doesn't have AOTY though, right? He got a Pulitzer Prize but not that one?)

Here are some of the big winners from last night.

Song of the year
Billie Eilish - Wildflower

Record of the year
Kendrick Lamar feat SZA - Luther

Album of the year
Bad Bunny - Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Best new artist
Olivia Dean

Best pop vocal album
Lady Gaga - Mayhem

Best pop solo performance
Lola Young - Messy

Best pop duo/group performance
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande - Defying Gravity

Best dance/electronic recording
Tame Impala - End Of Summer

Best dance/electronic album
FKA Twigs - Eusexua

Best música urbana album
Bad Bunny - Debí Tirar Más Fotos

Best rock song
Nine Inch Nails - As Alive As You Need Me To Be