No One Told Trevor He Was Hosting the Grammys | What Now? with Trevor Noah Podcast

This is what now. with Trevor Noah. How much time do we have with you? As much as you want to. Oh. Yes, ma'am. Oh, yes. Yeah. I was like, fuck you. Let's go. Do you want to start with the Kanye or should we? Yeah. I see, I wanted to show you what I'm wearing underneath here.

Can you imagine if that would have been really fun? If I turned up in, like, a fur coat and nothing underneath. would have been a bit of a joke. Actually, I actually do want to start with the Kanye, so, as the executive producer of the Grammys. Yeah. Do you, like, are you happy or are you pissed? Or is there another emotion that comes with seeing Kanye West, like pop up on the Grammys red carpets when he wasn't supposed to be there? Like, is there like a thing that. No, because on on one hand, it's good for the show in a way.

because everyone's like, oh shit, what's going to happen? Oh. And then the other hand, it's like you have a pre-planned thing. Like, what's your first emotion when that happens? Genuinely, honestly. Yeah. I couldn't carry the way like I was like, I think he's like, he's not for me. Yeah. And so like I was just like, oh, you know, it's just what he does, right? But I genuinely didn't think about it. The truth of it is during that red carpet, you know. Yeah, like I am that is that is the most stressful period of like my year.

That that one hour, that like that 90. To one hour leading. And that's the 90 minutes where you finish a dress rehearsal which went terribly. Yeah. And you finish that like 240 and then the show goes live at five. It's like that Lorne Michaels thing. He's always is. It doesn't matter when you're ready. The show goes live at five and it is what it is. So like there was a thing about Kanye, I genuinely didn't even see it. till after the show. Honestly, I did. Wow. Like, I knew there was a thing and I knew he'd done, like a stunt.

with his wife. And I was like, oh, I said, is the cameras going to work? Is the comms going to work? Is the show going to work? Like that's all. Like genuinely, that's what I was thinking about at that time. I was very in the zone, so I wasn't distracted. But I knew he wasn't coming to the main show. How did you know that? Because I'd heard, I'd heard that he was just coming to the red carpet. and then leaving, and he didn't have a I mean, I'm in charge of the floor plan. Yeah, yeah. So that's well, that's what got me, because I know where everyone's going to be sitting. And I didn't see Kanye. Then for a moment I thought you didn't tell me. Kanye was coming because you wanted to surprise me.

I don't know if anyone you know is coming, but I think. But there was no truth, genuinely no truth to him being kicked out. That's just not true. He went and did the carpet. and as far as I understand it, he then got in a car and left. I don't you to tell. People he was coming. I don't know, genuinely, I don't know. You'd have to ask the academy. I suppose in theory, there's no way to stop him from coming. So. Well, if he came as Jay-Z, he was. Nominated. For example, right? Yeah. I mean, yeah. He goes, if he comes as Jay-Z's guest, Ben condensate. Hey, dude, you're not welcome. Here.

Yeah, that's right. If you're a plus one. That's true. That's a very good point because I never know the plus ones. So you know that like yeah Madison Beer is sat over here. But you know, just I mean. Because like, you. Know, it's laugh and then. You kill the Aussie. Right. So it could. Have. Yeah. But you said that. But then but then people you're right. You don't know. And people show up with famous people. and then suddenly they're on camera like you didn't know they were coming. And it's like, oh, they're they're with, you know, whoever. I think this was the most dramatic red carpet we've had at the Grammys,

like in the years that we've done it together, because we like this was the year where Kanye steps onto the Grammys. Then immediately people were there's every opinion, right? So some people were going, how can the Grammys allow this? There are children there now. There's a naked woman on the red carpet. My children, there's always the children. I'm always like, there's a, you know, the children of there, the children that children. So that's what the people were saying. And then, I don't know if you saw any of these, actually, because you're so wrapped up in the show. Yeah. But then there was this afterwards. Yeah. Then there was the baby face.

Oh, I see that, right. I did see that. Yeah. The two AP reporters or whatever they were, were interviewing. Oh yeah. They're interviewing Babyface mid-conversation. Yeah. They just like, you know what? I only. actually saw that well, afterwards because Khloe Kardashian tweeted about it. She posted the video going, baby face is a legend. How dare you? And the first thing I thought is, and the baby face is a mate of mine, like, I love baby fat. Like he's like, not only is he a legend and an icon and a music. visionary, he's also one of the nicest men you know.

He's genuine. There is. No no. How he handled that was. Like, yeah, yeah. Yeah, oh my God. Yeah. He's full of love and praise. I love being around him. Like I find him and I find him an inspiring dude just from his like manner. And. But I felt sorry for those reporters I actually did, because it's like. It's like the culture that we're in right now where like, they, they're red carpet reporters on AP. They're not Trevor Noah hosting the Grammys. They have 10,000 hours of experience. That a thing? They probably don't know. this story in the history of Babyface, his commitment to music.

And then chaperon, who is one of the biggest stars. they don't, they know chaperoned better than they'd ever know Babyface. And they're like, oh, don't. And they know that they're going to get more bang for their buck, that. they're not being disrespectful to babies cause they have a family. But I think it's also why he said, you want that like he. Yeah, he's so sweet. That man has been in the game since when he knows every red carpet. He knows every he knows what the game is about. So he to your point, he didn't even he he had no ego in the way he did.

He was like, oh you guys need that don't you? Yeah. And he's like, I'm on my way. He's like, I stopped to talk to you because you need this. And now he's like, I get that, you need that. But I think what it was is this he doesn't need it's. No. Ego. So he wasn't offended in any way. And he he's like, oh, whatever. He's like, I don't need this. I agree. I just wish people didn't immediately like go out to find who those two girls are. And then let's, let's just make their life miserable. You just wish the internet doesn't exist. Yeah. I guess, well, in all fairness. I do. Neither do. I think there's like a certain amount of accountability that.

they need to be held to. It's a red carpet. No one never needed to see it. No. Must have known about it. Why does everyone need to be so offended all the time? No, but. Okay, okay. On his behalf, I see why. But if he wasn't, he said straight afterwards that I couldn't care less. Yeah, he'd be embarrassed by this whole thing. Yes, I think it's a it's. a tough lesson for them to like the way they're learning the lesson. If they had a good producer, someone would just say like, don't do it like that again. Yeah. Next time rope the person in oh my God, is chapel wrong baby face. do you know chaperoned. Oh chapel have you ever man oh legend.

Old school legend. New school. Oh man. Chapel is a big you have to. You have to work with baby. You two should do a thing. And then you get those magic moments as well in a couple ways. Like now you've got Baby Face and Chapel Rowan. Whoever saw that coming. And then she might go, I'm a huge fan of this song. And he's like, what? I didn't know. She's like, yeah, the way you remix that, the thing you do. with Mariah Carey on that song, oh, it inspired me to sing that. That could have been a moment. That's why they pay the big bucks. But this year. So we saw a lesson in hosting the. lesson and I thought I was coming to what. Now I'm actually coming to Masterclass. And. Kind of tell my master classes, this guy.

I can't even I was going to see. This is actually the issue though, with a lot of the, as I say, podcast culture. or the people that end up broadcasting without putting in the $10,000. Right? Because back in the day, if you ended up with any kind of a platform, you would have done things like a small television station or whatever it is. that's actually you get to the point where you know how to deal. with the red carpet moments, which is largely unscripted. Anything happens now, what you end up with is people.

that obviously have a very strong following, but they haven't got the experience behind them. To be able to know, to do something like that. Sorry. I'm sorry, I'm confused. We're talking about. two girls who are hosting for a P live on a red carpet at the Grammys. Yeah. That's not they're not hosting the Oscars here. No, but. I get what she's was like, though. No, no, no. Is their experience. No, but no. But here's where Caesar is. Right? Back in the day, you couldn't even get to the AP hosting. on the red carpet without having like no, no, really. No way. You know what? You see, this actually is with stand up comedy. Now, today, right, there are comedy clubs around the country like the U.S.

particularly, and some in the world. where they've started hiring people who are funny on TikTok. And then they come to the comedy club, they fans come, they pick it up, and then ten minutes in, everyone realizes no one was prepared for this moment. Like the TikTok comedian doesn't know how to make the people laugh. or doesn't know how to shift with the room. The room doesn't know what to do. And then club owners started booking backup acts for the TikTok stars. because they knew that red carpet thing would happen to them in the clubs.

So I hear what you're saying, but I also get what you're saying. It's fake. It's not like they shot Baby Face, is what I'm saying. No, no, no, let's be honest. Yeah. We also making it seem like what they did, we made it seem like. Like there were some people online were like, baby face you. I can't believe all the work. They made it seem like baby face, like, dragged himself down the carpet. Yeah. Still bleeding from the wound. They're inflicted upon him. It's difficult and it's difficult on live. And it's like. Oh, and I got it. They knew that they were going to get more hits if they managed to get chapel than. And chapel is not hanging around. Chapel is not going to go.

And I don't mean anything about chapel, but she's not going to go. Oh, I'll sit here for six minutes. You finish your baby face, she's on and you've either got to get her or you don't. Yeah, I get it. But you're right. The way they should have done it would be the collapse. Yeah. I think there's just like a swag that your point would come from experience. I wonder what would have happened if Kanye came in. I'm not going to lie. I kept on wondering what would have happened. Inside the venue. Yeah. Oh, not well, not here. I'm some know what I mean? It's most. Likely would have. Done. So. You think you would have come on. Stage 100%. And I'll tell you why.

Whenever there's been a big moment. and Kanye knows that he can seize it, he will. Funny enough, MTV Awards I don't even know idea. It was when he stepped on stage. and justice versus simian won the video for video of the year. Yeah. And he had lots. It did it it it did it. Oh yeah. Anyway that video he had that video nominated, he steps on stage and he goes, man, this video cost $1 million fam.

I had Nia Long in this. So whenever there's a moments that he can seize for attention. Yeah yeah. Now obviously that was a long time ago. Maybe he's a different man now. Well I don't think so. He like sees the red carpets. Yes. How would you have coped if he was in the room. How would you have felt, honestly, if he was in the room. knowing that he was there, knowing that there's. an unpredictability around you at those tables. because you're vulnerable, okay. Because you're. Not. Most hosts. Yeah. Are on a stage. Yes. They're away from. You. Yeah. They're not amongst the. People you are right in. Okay. So to the one he's very unpredictable.

But I have met Kanye and post me. and Kanye having a thing and can I tell you he was very sweet. He was very nice. He had a cordial conversation. and one of the, one of the things about Kanye. that I think a lot of people don't know is even when he has his like, you know, when he when he spins and when he's going through something, whatever it might be, bipolar or not. Kanye West loves. comedy like loves comedy and loves telling jokes. And if you listen to his raps, you know how much he loves telling jokes. He's got some of the best punchlines. in his raps, but when he tweets them, I think a lot of them don't come off well.

And comedy, as we all know, you miss, you know what I mean? Comedy's about misses. So. So the first part I'll say is this I wouldn't be afraid, but I would be worried for the show and what's going to happen, because now is Kanye going to go up when Taylor's up again? Now is is Kanye going? Because now I'm the person who's in the room and then now I go, you know, you don't want. Kanye was getting tackled by a security guard, but you also don't want to be the security guard.

So I don't know what it would be. I think I would, I would have and then on a night when we're there. and half the room, I would say even three quarters of the room. has like a strange, morose feeling to them. That's not the night you want unpredictability you know. Yeah. Do you know what I mean. Because I don't know about you but like this, this Grammys emotionally. was the hardest Grammys I've ever done. Yeah I mean for sure that's look cognac. The Kanye thing is look for me. I would have, I would have done everything would I, I don't know would.

You cut to him or cut away from him. I'm not going to talk on him on the Grammys either way. Luckily I didn't even know about because I was too busy. But I'm like, I'm not going to go out while I go, oh, let's clear a table. Let's get rid of one of the nominees in the jazz. It makes sense to give yeah, a table I'm not. But if it's up to the academy, I know it's nothing to do with me. I think people would have been stressed in the room. But it was that moving from that, it was a very different atmosphere. because people didn't know how they were supposed to feel. Yeah, and it was a really weird one because everybody's there.

and you won them over in a big way, as so did the show. And I feel really good about that and the response that we've had from it. I don't know if you read reviews I don't like, so no, I don't. So Vanity Fair, variety, Hollywood Reporter also, without question, best Grammys of all time. Like they're really going out of it. And I do think that's because you got the balance really. Well, no, I but it was. I think the schedule. Is tricky for sure because people don't know whether. is this supposed to be a sad event. Is it a happy event? Are we dancing or we crying? Are we giving or are we taking like.

And it was very it was a weird dance for you to have to do. Yeah. But you know but I think for all of us. So. Okay. Like to your point, we, you know, everything is happening in relation to everything else. That's life. Right? So now you're in Los Angeles. where everyone forgets six degrees of separation. Everyone either lost a home or knows someone who lost a home. So it's as simple as that. You start, you just start with that. Right? So you've got the room full of people. But now what I realized as the night was going was we're also in a moment.

where the majority of the people in that room. are also feeling a certain kind of way. So Lady Gaga, if it was any other year, would have just been like fun times, thank you very much. And then Lady Gaga goes, yo, trans people are not invisible. Then you're like, oh shit, yes, Trump said the thing, and this is on Gaga's mind and you know, and then you think that's done. And then chapel Room comes up. She wins the award. She doesn't just go like, what a good time I love life. Wow. I'm an I'm a I'm a new artist. I'm the best. No. She goes, let me tell you how shit it is.

Being an artist who doesn't make money and what actually happens. on the other side, or the, you know, before the precursor to success. You can't afford anything. You don't know what your. life's going to be and you don't have health care. And if you don't have health care in America, you're screwed. You know what I mean? So now, in a way, she's touching on like the Luigi Mangione of it. all, and people are like, oh yeah, health care. We're screwed in this country. And then. Later then. Yeah, then don't she gets on and then don't she goes, it's a celebratory thing. But then don't she gives you a reminder. She's like, yo, if you're a dark skinned black woman you are seen as aggressive.

You are seen as wrong, you are seen as loud. And you. So again, people are cheering, but they're like, oh yeah, shit, what a. And then Alicia Keys comes on and she goes, hey, we do need diversity. We want everyone in the same room. We want people together. We want to create. So you realize that everyone walked into a room. with something on their minds other than awards and music, which is rare for the awards and music. Like the last time I think this probably happened was maybe when Kobe died.

Right. And that we weren't doing the Grammys. That's. But it was like literally night before the Grammys or the day off or something. It's like, oh, I. Was actually I was funnily enough involved in that. You were involved in that one. Yeah. So I had been given the job that I have now, I was given the job of as executive producer, the Grammys. But what I said is I, I wanted to go for a year and not be number one. So I went and I was the I was a producer on that show, essentially being like the number two on it, shadowing Ken Erlich, who was the producer, because I wanted to know, like, how to do. because that's a beast of a show, what I did.

And also, you can't just get the job. And your first time being the producer of it is being the showrunner. Yeah, that makes sense. So I went for two years. I did the Alicia Keys one because they had pencil me in. They knew that I was going a bit. So I mean, listen, if somebody says, oh, you're going to go in. like help out the producers at the Grammys. and you're taking this thing over, you're going to go, so. it was the morning of it was just before the dress run started. It's 10:00 in the morning, we heard, and I went into Alicia's. dressing room and I sat with and I said, listen, just so you know,

we just had the news at Kobe's died. And she was totally shocked. And I think she had the idea that we should go and find Boyz two. men and see, because they were in the building. for some reason, maybe they were nominated or whatever. And so we had that idea, and then I had the idea to black out all the other shirts. because, you know, in the. Rough, in the rough. And so we did a shot of that. But it was it was Ken Erlich was exec producer, but I was there that day. But you're right, it was one of the but it seems like with the Grammys, well before our time, Whitney dies. Yeah, they call it the Grammys curse. I mean, Whitney dies, and then it happens. We've had we've had Kobe in the house that he built at Staples Center.

Obviously we did two during Covid. Then we had the fires this time. It's always a lot to handle. Yeah, so it's a lot to do. But then you're used to that in a way, because you went on television every night. with The Daily Show. and you would have a script that would be funny, and then you'd have to check it out because there'd be a shooting somewhere. So didn't that give you the, like, the experience of doing that, or do you just think it's so different because it's a one off event like that? Okay. So it's similar in some ways. And then in other ways. it's it's it's a lot harder and a lot different.

And I'll, I'll tell you I'll tell you, let's take a break. And then right off the bat I'll explain what I mean. We're going to continue this conversation right after this. short break. I've been. doing The Daily Show. And you you understand this feeling because you were doing The Late. Late Show with Corden. I was one of the worst days, not just for the show, but for people, was.

whenever there was a mass tragedy, you know, which would unfortunately happen all too often in America. So it would be mass shooting, mass shooting, mass shooting. This happened, you know, it was always something like that. And those days were tough. However, the Grammys is exponentially tougher. because everyone coming to The Daily Show was coming to engage. In Trevino's opinion, of the world. Yeah, or the show's processing of the world with the correspondents and everyone else. And so it was like, in a weird way, it's like we're all coming to the same church.

We all have the same religion, and now we're just going to process. what has happened to us as people, right? And this year, like I realized that more than most years, the Grammys is the perfect coming together of strangers. And it's something we don't have in society anymore. Right? You have someone walking to the building who lives in Miami full time. They only hear because their record label or their company brought them, but they live in Miami. You've got someone who comes from London,

you've got somebody who comes in from Finland, and they're like an engineer. and they're phenomenal. But like, nobody knows them except in the music industry. You've got people from New York, you go, you got people from. Israel has a whole. Yeah, Nashville has a whole contingency, right? But then you even break it up amongst like genres and ideas. You know, there's a joke. You saw the joke I made at the top when I go like mustard. And then I was like, ask your black friends, because I know the whole chunk of the room was like, what was that. like? What? What was that? Or what is happening here? Yeah.

And it's difficulty is, I think, the thing that makes it beautiful, it's like it comes with the precariousness. But I also enjoy the fact that somebody who only listens to hip hop. is now going to hear a country artist for the first time. Somebody who only listens to pop, is going to hear a rock audience for the first time. Somebody. I think there's a greater cross-pollination of fans in music. at the Grammys than in any other instance. Because. Because when else. are you forced in a good way to engage in somebody else's ideas?

Now, for me, as the host, it becomes extra hard because comedy. is extremely subjective and comedy is like people also have to come for comedy. Some people have come to the Grammys or they even like watching on TV, and then they're like, yeah, get done with this. I'm here for Beyoncé. Yeah, who is this guy? Yeah, but yeah, but yeah, but yeah. Come on, come on, come on, come on, get this. And I know this. I know this as well. You know that's the job of the host. You like moving things along, right? But it becomes harder because. it's not a funeral. But there's been huge devastation.

It's not a comedy show. But people do want a laugh. Yeah. You know, it's an award show, but it's also a somber night in many ways. It's all these things are happening. So it's much harder because with The Daily Show, at the end of the day, I would go, you're at the Daily Show, I'm at the Daily Show. Welcome to The Daily Show. And it's about the Daily Show. I mean, let me, let me tell you, when I let me tell you when I knew how different the Grammys was. This isn't like a long ago story. 4 or 5 weeks ago, I was in a restaurant in New York.

having like lunch or something, and the manager of the restaurant. walked over and went, hey, Trevor, congratulations on hosting the Grammys. What an amazing wow, this is going to be great for you and your career. I was like, thank you. And he's like, man, are you nervous? Like doing this for the first time is going to be crazy. And I paused and I was like, and then the person I was having the lunch with really sweet. But he leaned in. He's like, what? It's not his first time.

It's his second time. I know. And that's what I realized that like. and not even realize I've I've always known this. The Grammys is not about me, nor am I. You know me. I'm not trying to make it about me. I'm trying to keep the show moving and I'm trying to stitch things together. But there are people who are coming for their person, and if the person is not there, they're not coming. Yeah. So they're a fan of this artist. If that is not there, they're not watching, you know. And so I am just this random person who pops into people's lives.

Yeah. And tries to stitch together an incoherent group of people that you in my opinion. And I'll say this to you before we forget, masterfully put it together. This I've been I've been to five Grammys. Now, let me tell you something, Ben. The way you stitch, like, just like the best new artists. You know, everyone going. from Benson Boone, you know, going over to Dolce, going over to Teddy Swims, going over to Ray. Yo, like, even that is that.

That's hard because it's all different people doing different things. And yet you created a cohesive vibe that that's that's. what keeps bringing me back to the Grammys. Well, couple of things. Firstly, it's it's really funny that you say that because. when you say about the show and how difficult it is for you, go in. People are here for different reasons. I think about that in the way I program the show all the time, because I'm perfectly aware that, like Auntie Marilyn. in Nebraska, yeah, does not want to watch dokie. And in the same way that like someone who loves doji is not interested.

in Lainey Wilson, it's like, so that's probably why we've done as much as we can. to, like, make the show something for everybody. I would like the videos that we explain who everybody is, but. I would even try to. I would even interject and say, it's not that they don't want to. They don't know. That they don't know it. Yeah, but we try and make it like a show that everybody would enjoy. from beginning to end. I think you under I think you undermine not undermine. That's the wrong word. I think you under serve the purpose that you have in that show. And like.

Corden, I got involved in the Grammys because of James Corden. So obviously obviously I am his partner. And I was his showrunner for The Late Late Show with Rob. Business partner, by the way. Not married. Yeah, we're not married. We're not meant. People. No, no, because you're right. People say words that mean other things all the time. Right? And then someone was like, wow, James Corden is married to this guy. Yeah. I don't know. James Corden was even gay. And then there's a whole thing. And then it's like, it's like when Kendra said, when Kendrick said, my. aunt transitioned a few days ago, years. And then I could feel the room go, wait, Kendrick's on just transitioned.

and then most of the black people were like, we know what he meant. He meant passed away. Yeah. But then I saw a lot of white people be. Like, he's going, uncle. What do you. Yeah, literally like so. I mean, he actually does mean, you know. Yeah. Yo, man, it was very confusing, so I just wanted to throw that in. Yes, I do love him, but he's not my lover. Yes. So I only got involved in the Grammys because he got asked to host it. So I went along to be his, like, host producer. Got it, got it, got it. And that's when the Recording Academy got to know me. And that's when, like CBS and Recording Academy said, would you ever.

Then he decided he wasn't going to do the Grammys anymore. Alicia Keys got appointed and they said to me, can is, you know, however old he is, I think he was, you know, 70 or 80 or whatever. They said, would you ever consider it? He'd run it for years. I was, and that's how this all happened. But James always used to say something. I wonder if you feel, James. You used to say the morning after the Grammys, and I'll never forget it. He always used to say the thing I don't understand why I do this is. if it goes badly, it's career suicide. Yes you are. Yes, you are a joke.

You are over. You are rubbish. You can never work again. It's a disaster. If it goes well, you get 12 lovely emails, you get 12 lovely emails. He's like, he's like, why? Why do I don't need 12 lovely emails? I don't, but like he also did it for the buzz and the love of it and the excitement. And for you, I genuinely the biggest panic I had. this year was in regards to you. And I don't know if you know this.

I genuinely could not have done the show this year without you. I couldn't have done about you. It was such a high wire act because loads of people said we shouldn't. do the show like loads of people were like, cancel the Grammys, do better. Yeah. Like, what's her name? The amazing actress from hacks. Jean smart. Yeah. She said, cancel all award shows and give the money to, fire relief or whatever. So there was this real like. And everyone was like, why are you doing. this is not about people picking up gold statues and all this. So there was this huge attention on us and everyone was going, you're canceling it, right?

Because I really didn't want to cancel it for many reasons. One, I thought we could do real good on the night. Two, I thought, it's three and a half weeks away. And actually, like, well, we were deep in the fibers three one half weeks away. If the fires are still. Right, but you had been evacuated from your own home. and you were still like, I think we can do the show. 100% wanted to do it more than ever. Okay. What people don't realize and I'm going, I'm going to come back to the bit by you. But what people don't realize and why I was annoyed, but I don't get annoyed much, you know. No you don't. When people are like, this is just cancel it. I was like going,

we did the vermouth on this. 6500 people, all from Los Angeles, in some ways take a wage from the Grammys happening. I'm not talking about Sabrina Carpenter in Chapel, right? I'm talking about the people who build the stages, the caterers, the producers, the writers, the choreographers. That's how many bit the drivers. It's it's insane. So all these people saying. and a lot of them lost their houses and a lot of them I know. Yeah. And the worst thing I could do to them, the worst thing. as the executive producer of the show, the single worst thing I could possibly do to any of those people is go, hey guys,

because you guys are struggling right now and because. because you've lost your house and because you're having. a really tough time, we've decided to take your wage away. Okay. Just to make things a bit easier for you so that you don't need to work right now. Okay. I hope that makes you feel good. You know, we're really with you hearts with you. I love. Like what? Like it was just. It just didn't understand. And then people were like, there was somebody from Nashville who was going to come to the show. Big Star. And they said their agent called and they said they don't want to take.

hotel rooms in L.A. So we're no longer going to be doing it because we don't. we think it's inappropriate to take hotel rooms. I was. like hotel rooms right now in Los Angeles the week of the Grammys. And actually that week, which is three weeks ago. Yeah, we're at 32% capacity. You know, it's funny I said this to Cesar. So, Cesar, you flew in from we were in South Africa. because, I mean, we did the other podcast. We have a few episodes. Yeah. Like now basically a few weeks ago. Two weeks ago. Yeah. We did the episode together.

Then he flew and I said to him, I was shocked. I was like, LA is empty, empty, the airport is empty. And the flights coming in our empty, the hotels are empty, L.A is empty. But people are there like. And then you said sorry, sorry to interrupt. I know you said to me you were like. Yo man at lays down like you remember because you. you said something about like how everything is, you know, coming. In the flights were extremely cheap or relative. Yeah. That's what that's what they. Would it be like this time last year for sure. And then as you say, everything was fully available. Everything was available because the hotels are empty.

And so I've got an artist team from Nashville. when I live in love in that I like, love like that. But yeah, you. I. Don't know, I change. We can talk about that too, but I can't get this. Taxi. Let me go. Okay. Pick it. Go go go. So, like, you know, I feel very. When something like that happens, you become. You either got 2019. There was a fire in my garden. It was Getty Center. We were evacuated. I thought everything was gone. Yeah, it was fine. My house. But I was like, get me home to London. What the hell am I doing here in this place that can burn my house down? I was like, done this time.

I don't know why. Entirely different. Maybe it's because I've got two kids now and two, like two little Americans. Maybe it's just I've grown to love this country. Maybe it's. I've just been. It's my 11th year, but I just had this pride in our city. I was like, we're gonna. It was really. It was this, like, resilience, like love for. It's why we started with I love. I lay on the show. It's why we did all those like, local businesses. It all came from that, like heart, the vibe, what I feel. Yeah. You had you had like a no. I. Mean it uncharacteristically,

I say uncharacteristic because like, I always find like English. people are resilient, but there isn't, like the same level of schmaltz. Yeah, yeah. No, I know it is. I've got. But now you have, like. A no I do. I love this place. You like my neighbors and we're getting together. We got to mix and we got to give you language to the people. And we gotta. It's like, yeah, like USA. That's what I'm with you. Whoa whoa whoa. No, I. I'm not chanting USA. A few more years I've. Started to get to know my neighbors. You more. Yeah, yeah. For more years like the Grammys. Great.

Again guys. So so so then when this artist said, no, we're not going to come with you. No, we don't want to come because. And they weren't they weren't in the show anyway. I had to confirm, but I was hoping to get them. and they were like, no, we're going to keep the hotel rooms free. And it was the idea. that people who have been evacuated either there is either they are. not wealthy enough to stay in a hotel for more than 2 or 3 nights. You think they're staying. at the London on Sunset Boulevard for like three months, right? Like these. They can't. They never have any possessions anymore.

Or they're wealthy enough to rent the place or move. The economics of a hotel will just never work, right. So. So the hotels are empty. Everybody knows that in this town, bars aren't being used. Valets that like the whole thing. So that annoyed me. So that's why I was like. a friend of mine. Jeffrey, I'm going to. I hope you won't mind. Jeffrey Katzenberg calls me literally a while. I'm evacuated. And while everybody is going, we don't know. if the Grammys should happen. And me and Harvey, Harvey Mason junior, who runs the Recording Academy, who's employs me to produce the show, we were both like,

we really think we can do something good on this show. And Jeffrey called me and Jeffrey is that one of my favorite people in the world? And he called me and he said, like, why don't we think about doing. something on television with musicians for the fires? This was before fire, right? Yeah, right. Irving's thing, he said, I really think that you'd be. the right person to put it together, get the artists. We could find a network, we do the whole thing. And I said, literally, I was in our hotel room with all my bags around me. I said, Jeffrey, but to do that, you'd need. X million dollars to put on an event.

I've already got X million dollars on February the 2nd. It's the Grammys. You're also going to need a network to like, put it on. And I was like, I've already got that. It's CBS. You'd also need people to watch it. And that's hard. But it's called the Grammys, so people will watch it. And you'd also need to get Beyoncé. and Taylor and Billie and Gaga and Bruno and Olivia Rodrigo in a room. Yeah, and I've already got that. It's called the Grammys. I was like, why would we do something for that? Why not just make this, that? And and that's what like we needed to do and it was a crazy.

high wire act for you to do because at the one time you're going, please welcome Sabrina Carpenter. But the other time you're saying, go to this QR code and help these people. Yeah. And I think it's. it was an impossible job that you did unbelievably, unbelievably well. Thank you so much. So that I want you to know something I only found out about an hour ago. during the telecast. Just during the telecast, there was donations of over $8.5 million. Altogether, it's been nine just over nine. It's 24 million for all the weekend's events at the Grammys. Wow. But just during the telecast is 9 million.

Is 8.5 million. What is fascinating about that, I literally just found out a minute ago. my office is the average donation of that was less than 50 bucks. So what happened was the biggest donation from people at home was a 30. Then it was a ten and then it was a five. That's the three donations. Everything else was beneath that level. Wow. What that means is hundreds of thousands of people were watching the show. and watching you go, there's a QR code. Yeah. And they were donating five, ten, 20 enough.

that we raised 8 million just from those donations. That's great because you think if you raise 8 million, that's 100,000 million. But yeah, of course, you know like but that's not no corporate sponsors. That's not including the artist. Yeah. Yeah I don't know that 24 it's just people at home. And like that's because you successfully and I'm not just blowing. smoke up your ass, but like that's because you successfully. and like seismically changed people to do that.

People to go up to their screen and get their phone and then type in a code. rather than just watching TV and enjoying the Grammys. That's because you did it really well. And so it was a high wire act. But I knew that I needed you hugely, because without you, it would have been impossible to get the excitement. and the joy and allow somebody to stand there and win a Grammy, to also have someone who loves and understands music, but fundamentally, to get the tone right so that we could go from I love L.A. or the fireman coming on stage, or the commercials for the businesses,

or all the other or the other choir that sang with Stevie Wonder from schools. that burned down all those bits that we'd come up with. Yeah, you had to get us through them, and at the same time make a joke about, yeah, I don't know, alligator bites. Right, right. And that was needed. So my big as I've talked for too long. I'm sorry. No. What do you mean? There's the podcast. We have to talk about the Grammys. You're the Grammys guy. What do you mean? But, I freaked out. Do not know this. I don't know anything. I I'm I'm waiting to hear it. All right, so it was the week of the fires. Yeah. Which was January the 7th or eighth.

And me and Harvey and with Raj and Jesse, who are all. So I should credit them. They're also exact on the show. We decide we're going to go ahead with the show. So we make this announcement, we're going ahead with the show. And I'm like, great, we're going ahead. And I start planning it and I'm start thinking of all these ideas and I'm like, and then Trevor could do this and like, oh. And then Trevor could start like this. And then he could like unveil the photo of doors. And I'm just thinking of all of it and like, really? And I'm phoning all the artists. because they all want to know that it's going to be okay. Yeah. They all want to know that they're not walking into like.

So I went around each what? Not each one of them. Not all of them, but like a lot of them like wanted a call. to understand what we were doing. And I reassured them instantly and they could feel, oh, there's love here. And like it's going to be okay. And it got to. like the 12th of January or 13th of January on that exact dates. But it was like, you know, and Eric Cook, the Co-ep, who sort of runs. the budget comes into my office and he says, he says when we still haven't got Trevor's contract signed, when are you announcing?

Trevor and I went. Oh, I went home. We haven't announced Trevor. And he's like, no. I was like, why haven't we announced Trevor? I don't know, we've never announced Trevor. I had no idea. We hadn't announced you as the host because we you and I are, I would say very close friends. Yeah. And I just we just assume we're doing it together, man. We just. I don't think so. Here's the funny thing about me. You don't see me, zero. But no, but here's a funny thing. I'm the opposite. We'll even tell you this.

I don't assume anything. So even when they ask me, are you doing the Grammys? I say, yeah, and it's the truth. I go, they'll let me know if they want me. But until then. But we did have a company, but we. Don't even know. But what I'm saying is with the fires and I'm saying with all of that. So I'm still going like, hey man, I don't. And this, this guy has known me. Would we on like 20 something years? But she knows me. I take nothing for granted. I always assume that I will be fired or can be fired, right? Anything in life can change.

And I don't even have, like, I'm like, baby faced with most things. Yeah. He's okay. You turn around and you are. You're very relaxed. You okay? So for me, I was just sitting in South Africa. literally just being like, man, this is crazy. Is the Grammys happening? Or. But I don't even assume that I'm doing it even though we've spoken, because I know you might call me and say, hey, listen, this year is different. We're going to do a different thing. And so yeah, I'm like, okay. But I have in my head designed an entire. Show. Yeah. Which I didn't know. Based with you at the helm. Right. Every element of it from like the Gen-Z commercial joke,

I'd already got like that, like the whole idea of, like, everything was with you in my head, I wasn't it didn't cross my mind for a second. You weren't doing the show. And then Eric went, well, no, we haven't announced him. So I was like, so I had this cold sweat come over my body. It was about it was about like, you know, it must have been really early in the morning because I remember. So then it was 9:00. That's right. So I call you. because I'm panicking a little bit and I go straight to answerphone. Then I called Rachel Rush, who's your agent?

And it rang. Rachel Rush never doesn't pick. No, it's insta pick. It's it's the pick. She picks up instantly. And we've just announced we're definitely going ahead with the Grammys. Rings and rings and rings. No texts going. I'll call you back. So then I go, then I call your manager, Norm. Nothing. Wow. Really nothing. No one picks up. though. Just getting snubbed. I'm like, I am like, heavy breathing. So then I'm like, oh, I mean, I haven't got Rachel, I haven't got Trevor, I haven't got no Derek or pick up Derek or pick up.

So then Derek. I pick, I ring him nothing. Five minutes later on zoom, can I call back later in the day? That's far too formal for me, Derek. That is that. Is far too much, young man. Then Rachel Rush texts me and goes, Rachel Rush, text me. This is now like 945. Rachel Rush texts me going, sorry, sorry. I had a missed call. Been in meetings. Will make sure we speak later in the day. and I am like, so I try you again, I try you again.

I'm like, oh my God, to try you again. No answer. These are for people who I know. your listeners wouldn't necessarily know, but for people who pick up my call. Yeah, like a friend of. Mine, what's what's funny is what I'm experiencing just from. because I don't know anyone else's story. But for me, when this was all happening, I was in South Africa, and I specifically decided that I'm going to take. some time away from digital devices and I, like, made a whole thing. I was then I wrote to one of my friends, I said to one of my friends,

I was like, hey, I think I'm going to send this out as sort of an out of office to everyone. just to be like, hey, I'm staying away from my phone. If you. Then he was like, calm down. He's like, you're not a doctor, you're not a lawyer. Nobody needs you like that, dude. And then he said, if someone needs to get Ahold of you, they'll find you through your people. So relax. So I was like, all right, literally my phone for maybe ten days was just. maybe look in the morning, maybe look at night. And that was it. Well, I was having an utter freak. I'm sorry. I'm so, so so so I'm also going. All four of them are on a zoom right now. It's nine in the morning.

They've read the entire thing, their head, and they are discussing how Trevor thinks it's not a good idea. And I'm also annoyed at myself, genuinely annoyed myself. And it was bad producing I did, I made it, I made a genuine mistake being serious. I actually learn from this and you don't even know about it. The in my head I think of us as kind of a unit like I in a lot. Yeah, I'm with you in that. Like I just thought, oh, Trevor will be fine with all of this, right? I was great, and I was so annoyed at myself that we had made an announcement. Not with your name in it, that the Grammys was happening,

and I hadn't picked up the phone to you and gone. Do you think that's all right? Is that okay with you? Will you still do it? Because if you had said, I don't want to do it, I don't think I would have gone ahead and we might have gone ahead. I'm not saying. I'm saying, but I know I said, Harvey, I need to find a host that can manage. what we're about. Oh, before. We go ahead, I can't we can't announce we're doing it until I know who's. going to be the voice of, like, our ideas and vision and whatever. And I was so angry at myself because it says real ball drop for me and I. And as you'll know, I'm like, quite.

And I said I had no emotion. Good. So I'm sorry that you went through all of this. So I called a meeting. I was typing on the grass. Yeah, he's. Enjoying a mountain. Where the hell were Norm, Derek and Rachel? So I called me with my stuff, with Patrick. and and Raj, and we called in and they all knew. It was about 1030 that morning. I said, I've got. I've just got something in my stomach I have to share with all of you. Trevor's out, I think. No, I swear to God, the room. It was the most morbid room.

Everyone was like, oh my God. I was like, I've. I said, I've f up. I was like, I didn't I don't know what's happened. I might be able to talk him back in of spiraling. I don't know what was going on with me. I'm this. That's why they carry you out. But I was like, there was so much at stake for me. Okay, this makes that makes sense. I put my heart and soul into this. Grammys. Partly because, like, I love the Grammys. Now I've just decided it's like it's my baby now. I've done it five years and I love it. And I love the love it gets and and I love. I'm a proper music fan, so I love that. And I just like telly. and the challenge of it and I've and the LA thing and now and.

It's home and fighting to raise. Money. Yeah. And I was like this is so idiotic. I mean I'm sure Graham anyway no one sits back still. It's now like 1130 and no one has called me. So I know I'm screwed because no one's called me back. And it's and it's like. You've got to admit, that does sound. Great. Does that sound. Well? It's bad. It's bad. And I'm like. And maybe they're annoyed I didn't check and whatever. And I knew that, like, Norman had friends who had lost houses and stuff. Yeah. So they were all probably like, we shouldn't do the show. And Rachel's a very sensitive person as well,

so she might have thought I could see how all of them could say to you in some way. I could see how all of them could go. No, I'm not sure it is the right thing for you right now. I could see the zoom that I wasn't on at 9 a.m.. They didn't exist. So then my phone goes. Everyone's in the room. It's about midday. My phone goes, This is Trevor Noah. I'm not fucking. For the first time. I was like, I was like a girlfriend telling me if I was gonna get a second day. I became this pathetic kid. So I'm like, okay, guys, guys, give me the room, give me the room,

give me the room. Everyone give me the room. You know, so everyone falls out the room going, good luck, good luck. And I'm like. And I'm literally like, hello, hello, hi hi hi hi there. Just be strong. Hello? Okay. Pick up the phone. You. Within a minute, I was like, hey, man, how are you? You're not good. I'm just in South Africa. How are you doing? How's that? I'm good. Everything okay with you? Yeah, just having a break with mom. And literally I was like, what an idiot am I?

I've spent the whole morning crying over this disaster. No, I was. Like, I didn't know there was a. I. When you spoke. I was pretending to be so cool. I've never been his uncle in my life. And I was like, so I've got a few ideas for that. You know, the Grammys, at some point we should talk about it, you know? Yeah, yeah, some point we should just. Yeah, whenever, like, you know, I'm around. I'm back in L.A. next week. Let's talk then. So yeah, absolutely. Oh that's funny. Meanwhile, we had the opposite because obviously the fires happened. Yeah. Now we're wondering what's going to happen.

How are you going to do it? How are people going to do it? Everyone's trying to figure out the semblance of normalcy. that they can attain during a disaster like this. And then you. We thought they're going to get cancer. Yeah, we thought was going to get canceled. And then it was you who said to me you had like no doubt in bend. being able to pull it off. Funny enough. I didn't have a doubt. And it's for two reasons. Right. So I've obviously I've worked with you guys for like four years now. I've seen how you guys do your thing and I know the chemistry you have right.

The first. time in Vegas, I was familiar with your work. Yeah, but I obviously had never seen you deliver. And after that, you. I even told him. I said this is the right person for you. Like, I've never seen an on air chemistry like what you guys have. And I might have been saying this because of you. Yeah, right. Like he he'll know. So when you guys decided you put out the announcement, even on Instagram, and funny enough, I sent you a DM. In my response, I was like a fire emoji, which I didn't do. That's wrong. Emoji.

I was sat in my house with two hoses by my side. Yeah, but. I was 100% sure you'd be able to pull it off. I just knew that the tone of the show. would have to be different for sure, which is what we initially discussed. And then everything from that point on. Did you ever was. So my instinct was obviously wrong, as in, like you hadn't you weren't pulling out. No. But did you ever consider actually, maybe I shouldn't be hosting it this year. I don't want the challenge of it this year. Or you know what? Maybe this isn't for me. Did it cross your mind at any point?

Or you were just as easy going as you made out to me on the phone? Okay, let's let's take a break. I'll think about it. I'll think about it, and then I'll I'll. I'll give you the answer to that. So I want to take a moment to talk about ZipRecruiter. No matter what job you're searching for or hiring for, ZipRecruiter can help. Today we're talking about the Grammys. and if you just think about a show like that, it's incredible. the number of very specific jobs that go into putting it all together. You know, it's actually funny.

Speaking of jobs, you and I basically met through jobs. Yeah, right. And you and I met on a production set. basically like I was doing, you know, the kids show you were doing. What were you doing at the time? MTV, MTV stuff. Yeah, yeah. So you doing MTV and so you go there day one. What do you expect? Well, I. Don't really have an expectation. because how I got my job was like an open audition. Yeah. So literally everything was a learning experience.

and just, you know, okay, what do you do then? They'll tell you, then you move on. Okay. What do you do? What's your role? How does it all fit together to create the big production? That's probably the most mindblowing part of a production is how many people. need to come together to make it happen. Yeah, like I speak to people all the time who will say to me, hey, Trevor, I want to work in entertainment. Then I go doing what? And then like, what do you mean, doing what? I'm like you doing what? There's literally everything in entertainment, you know, I remember when I discovered there's somebody whose job it is. to make sure that the cables that are on the cameras don't get tangled up.

because you better, yo. And, like, that's one of the most important people. on the job, like running along the sidelines of the NFL or, you know, at a live show like the Grammys or you name it. Like that person's job is just to make sure. that the cables don't get tangled so that you at home, don't miss the shot. You know. I've always wondered, what's the first boy group? I've always read that since I was a kid. Know, I was like, I wonder what the first week grip is like. What is it? It's the grip that is most important.

That's my first boy. Amen. This. This is why you need, like, hiring set. Because, I mean, how many jobs are there? Do you know? I mean, like, think about it. Everyone thinks of a cameraman. Yeah. When a movie is being made or when a show is being created on live. TV, do you know how many different people are making that camera work? You know what I mean. You watch something. You think two people were having a conversation you don't know. Behind them, there were 200 people making it. look like it was just two people having a conversation.

And all of those roles need people. And they need to be filled. You need to know where to go and find them. And that's where ZipRecruiter comes in. Every day, ZipRecruiter helps 10 million candidates with their job search, which means no matter the role or industry, they can help your business find qualified candidates fast. And when they say no matter the role or industry, they really mean it's whether you need to find that one person, that one employee. for your small business or staff for a big event. You can see for yourself by going to ziprecruiter.com/trevor.

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Okay so 2024 is coming to a close. I've been on tour almost for two years. This is like me finally wrapping things up. I put on a few extra shows in New York at the beacon, the Comedy Cellar, at a little theater downtown, at the Soho Theater. And then I decided I'm going to go to South Africa for Christmas. and go spend time with my mom, and then I'll spend New Year's. in South Africa and China, which I don't regularly do with my friends.

Seasonally, everyone we normally travel and then I decide, you know what? I'm just going to spend time at home doing like, nothing and just chill, just get back to home vibes. So I'm home, I'm home, I'm home. Having a wonderful time. While we're there, the news comes out about LA, and it's the same news that always comes out every year. There are wildfires in LA. Now it's not diminished by the fact that it always happens. But you you always think to yourself, oh yeah, they got it, man.

They always they always got it. It can get a little out of hand, but they've got it, they've got it, they've got it. Then the fires grow and the fires grow. They keep growing. They keep growing. Now you hear about evacuation orders and now we're reading the second hand. We're not in LA you know. So all you get is the news clip a few videos online. Then the fires jump, then the fires expand. And now we're like, wow, it looks like the whole cities burn. Now personal friends start texting me or like my manager, my agent, Matt Blake. Literally his house gone, like gone, gone.

Ashes. No. But you. So now you start getting direct. People going. Hey, man. House gone. Hey, house gone. Hey, house. Got it. And now you're like, whoa, whoa wait wait wait everyone, how far is this thing getting? Now you're like, oh, everyone is going to be involved in this. It's not, it's not, it's not like a few people who live near to the boundary, which is normally how it is. It's everyone. So I'm experiencing this, but it's not about me. So I'm just like, I hope everyone's okay. And whenever there's a tragedy, I hate being the person who's. texting people because I feel like I don't need you to reply to my text.

Well, shit's going wrong in your life, so I'll text you afterwards. because my text doesn't necessarily help you. You know what I mean? So I'm. I'm quiet. I'm spending time with my devices. We go, we see things are being canceled, moved, etc. I go see, what do you think is going to happen? He's like, I don't know, but if you know, if anything happened to let you know, I'm like, all right, we'll see how the Grammys still happening. We don't know. We don't know. We don't know. Grammys gets announced. The Grammys are happening. But they say nothing about me. So I'm like, oh, okay, I guess there's going to be a shift. It's fine. Then I go, see you. So the Grammys is happening.

He goes instantly. He's like, yeah, he's like, Ben can pull it off. I know he can. He always he'll figure it out. He always pulls it off. So I'm like, I'm like, yeah. I'm like, Ben will do. I don't know how he's going to do it, but he'll do something cool and I'm fine. I'm just living my life. We speak on the phone. The only doubts I had were doubts around. So I'll start with this. Number one to what James said and what anyone. who's hosted an award show will know. You know, like I remember like.

talking to Kevin Hart about it. I've talked to Chris Rock about it. You name it. Hosting a show. is one of the more thankless things you can do. Yeah, right. And not thankless, like, oh, I need the thanks, but it's just because it's such a high wire act. Even if there's nothing bad happening in the world, you step onto a stage where people haven't come for you, and you then do the thing that you do, which is already precarious. Comedy is not a safe artform,

full stop. Like just even people who are coming to a comedy club. There's a possibility the comedy doesn't go the way they want it to. For a comedian, it's not a safe artform. No comedians like, oh, what a lovely, easy job I have, right? So you start with that. Then an award. show where people are coming for. music is not even like the Emmys and the Oscars, where people are, you know, used to sitting down, having people talk all night. No, the music speaks at the Grammys. You know, there's very little speaking at the Grammys.

So I have my latent doubts about doing the Grammys. I roll to the Grammys because of you. You know what I mean? This literally from the beginning, I was like, look, I don't like award shows. I would never do an award show. But I roll with you, and I trust you to keep me safe and to try and put the best show on. And I love making people feel good. Now the fires are happening I go okay so I've already got the doubts ahead. But now what are you, are you throwing a party while everyone. Everyone's having a funeral. What are you doing. How how bad is the devastation. Are you assuming devastation on their behalf.

Because that's another thing I've realized. we do quite a lot in society these days is we assume things on other people's lives. that they themselves aren't experiencing baby face is a good example. Baby face wasn't pissed off. People were pissed off. How dare you? But the men that you are daring on behalf of is like, nah, I get it man. It's part of the game. Relax. People get offended on, you know, the places behalf. People get offended people. We do that and sometimes we do it. I think most of the time we try and do it out of good, but the intention doesn't match up with the with the outcome.

Right? So I didn't want to make the assumption and be like, no, I cannot do the Grammys at this tough time. I cannot do this. Like, oh, what about the people who've worked for you on their music? What about the people who've, like, prepared for you to work on the Grammys? What about the people you and I spend most of my time with? These guys I'm chatting to, you know, the stagehand backstage. I'm being ushered around, you know, by the crew. I'm building bonds with the cameramen because you know what it's like season.

when you've hosted. That's the thing. These are the people that you're doing most of it with. So I'm not in the position to assume anything. I just go I will work with what is given to me. But what I thought from the get go, even when I came to LA was man this is going to be hard. And this is going to be hard because. Half the people who are here. have a feeling of sadness that they're carrying.

It's mixed in with resilience. But it's still sadness. The other half have some sort of reverence for what everyone is experiencing. But they've come into town. But they also don't want to be the people with confetti and streamers. So every normal pre-grammy party was canceled. Every after party was canceled. There was no Spotify party, there was no CAA party, there was no Warner Music party. There's nothing. There's nothing. So the preamble feels different.

People feel different. You know, the first time you're going to put something. nice on is just to go to the show. That's that's not usual. And then on top of that, you realize that the audience. isn't having the same feelings depending on where they are. Someone's watching in South Africa. know they're not having the same feeling that somebody is watching in London. They're not having the same feeling. They're happy for Rae, you know, and then someone's watching from Australia and then someone's watching from. But these people are like, oh yeah, we know that there is a fire. But also when we had a fire, you didn't do the thing.

So we're having a different feeling. And I was watching this online. I was seeing people, so I didn't I didn't assume anything, but I knew. for me personally, I was like, this is probably going to be my least favorite Grammys. because. whatever happens, I will be doing something wrong. But it was it your least favorite in the end? Yeah. Easily. Right? Just because you were worried about that high line of how you, But I mean. Because you couldn't be loose. So not not even loose. So it's like. And when I say least favorite, I'm using, you know, like favorite the way you like.

Your least favorite is in the show. Like the show, your experience. But for me as Trevor, yeah, this was the most stressful, most high wire, most. because I don't want anyone who's experiencing. this disaster to feel like I'm minimizing it because I'm not. I literally have some of my people in the audience where. we've experienced a collective loss. So even on a personal level, I don't like strangers. I'm like, I want you to think, you know, but then, you know, there's someone who's watching going like, oh, really?

What? I just tuned in for a funeral because it is a celebration. And I always think that's the paradox of life. And one of the hottest paradoxes of life to accept is that in the same hospital. where somebody is dying, the baby's just been born, literally just like a few hallways away, someone is cheering. And then in another hallway, people are crying. because they've had the exact opposite experience. But what do you do? Do you say the hospital is all said, or do you say no balloons? Or do you say no crying? Like what do you do? And that's that's what it felt like coming in.

And so. even doing the show you saw, it's like we were like, what jokes would work or wouldn't work or what do we say or not say? So this is when I knew the room was different. This is the first Grammys I've done where everyone was set before the show started. That's when I knew this was going to be a weird, different vibe. I didn't know which way the vibe would go, but I've never done a Grammys. other than Covid. But that was different. I've never done a Grammys where everyone is set. You mean? Because usually it's the mayhem that they're arriving so jubilant?

Yeah. Taylor Swift walking. Nice to see you. And you know that table and that table in, and someone's over there, but you think that we. Started it with. With you talking about devastation? No, no, no. But they were seated. Yeah. Regardless of what. I know what you mean. Yeah, but they were in their seats. They weren't people normally walking in, you know, the rappers up there. Oh, Busta Rhymes is in the corner. Hey, what's going to baby fucked up? There's going to be a party in everybody's dressing room. Yes. There was none of that. There was none of that. But there was by the end of the show. Yes, yes, but it wasn't a party.

It was a it was, it was the feeling that you have after a funeral or a week. It was it was a feeling where. most of the. feelings that people had had had been addressed. So, you know, when you, when you were playing, a bomb to a burn wound, there is a feeling of relief that comes with it. that allows you to not feel burned for a moment by Kendrick. and his acceptance speech was that that was a love letter to L.A..

Kendrick may have made the same acceptance speech. where the fire's not there, but I don't think he would have, you know, now he's like he's talking about his love for each and every part of those. every city. It wasn't just Compton. No none. It was him going, yo man, Pasadena. And you know, Santa Monica. And he's like, all of this is part of me. Every single artist who got up and said something about something. became part of the bomb that soothed the nights and the show. So I think the feeling we experienced at the end with Beyoncé standing up there, I've never seen Beyoncé that emotional.

Never. Did you think that was because of what happened in Los Angeles or. I think it's I think it's because of everything. Waiting an album. No no no no no. I think it's. Like people saw Billie Eilish crying when Beyoncé was up on stage. And lots of people have said to me, why do you think she was crying? And it's it's really interesting. It's like, I think it could have just been the emotion of the night. But I mean, it could have been anything from being happy to see Beyonce, some people saying, oh, she's sad that she's lost and that's why she's crying. I was like, oh my God, you don't know this girl. Yeah, you don't know people. You don't know Billie.

Then there is no like she is just the most exceptional human being. But I actually think I think what set her off, if I had to guess. Yeah, again, I don't know. I really don't know. I don't know that well, but I think it was the fireman. I actually think the moment of those firemen coming out. because the fires were so close to her and whatever, I. Think there's oh, that's a. Fireman made that moment emotional. And like I wanted to do the fireman for album, I knew straight away I was that we have to get fireman's give out album, because that's because that is the biggest. That's the Celine Dion moment we had last year.

It's yeah, it's, you know, it's special who you'd get if it wasn't the fires. You'd be asking Paul McCartney, Jack, I like you. Yeah. And so the idea that you get 20 firefighters. and you play some emotive music and you come out, I actually think that was a real, period or full stop at the end of the show. because it was like, we've done all these bits, like support. these local businesses that have this like Gaga Bruno performance. And then at the end you just see, like this powerful 20 firemen. giving out this historic moment that was, to be honest, that made it even more historic, is the thing.

that people have been begging for for however many years. And it's a group of firefighters, and I loved your line about. this is the easiest job they'll ever have to do. Just give out all is a wonderful line. I loved it, and, yeah, I just thought that might have led to the emotion. It was like the person who they grew up. loving and beyond, say, someone like Billy. And you got the firefighters there and the nights gone like it's. It's been a lovely night. Music's brought people together. And I thought maybe that was why. there was so much emotion in the room, but I don't know. I think it was a combination of everything, actually, because. You, you were you were seated in the room.

So you have an interesting table. Yeah. So you see today you're not. Yeah. Even before the show started. So if you go back. and you listen to everything that leads up to Grammy weekend, right? The pre-party is and so on, that's the energy, the vibrancy of the city as the energy. And not that the city wasn't vibrant, but. things are very different from, let's say, Wednesday onwards. And that was evident in the first writing meeting. We already agreed that the tone of the show would have to be different. Yeah, not to say that the show is going to be sad, but we're observing a moment.

Sure. And then by the time you get to the actual show, everything that you're saying, it ends up being bigger than the sum of its parts. So yes, Beyoncé is emotional because it is a very big moment. But also, you correct the people that do hand over the awards. Yeah, do make it even that much more amplified. So I think it was just. it was all of that coming together and it ended up being beautiful in a way. Because if you look at the reviews now, when people speak about this show. holistically, they sing best Grammys in.

however many years, because that's really what TV's about. Then roller coaster of emotion is actually quite good. Sometimes if you can cry this one moment but also end up crying. because you joyful and you happy that you know they finally clinch the award. Yeah, that's what makes it beautiful. So it ultimately worked out. Yeah. The emotion went. It was it was really amazing because like the firefighters were backstage. and they were a great group. Like just like just, you know, because what. I appreciated what you did there with them was.

we do a. good job of calling on people to help us when we need the help. We forget that they're people as well. Do you know what I mean? So we call them firefighters, but they're people. Yeah. And it was cool to meet the people who are firefighters backstage. and just see them like laughing and talking shit. So I was talking to I was talking to one of the, one of the pilots who flies the helicopters, and he like, runs the command of all of them, and he has to manage the airspace, you know, like choreograph what the planes are doing, what the helicopters are doing so that they don't crash and cause. you have to wait for the one to go by before the other one can come,

so that they can drop the water and do the thing. You know, it's it's complicated, but you need the water to be coming as quickly as possible. You've got them picking up at the reservoir. So he's telling me this, we're talking about it. We haven't. But then and they epitomize the paradox of, of humanity. because on the one hand he's he's going, yeah, man, this thing was crazy. And he's like, man. But this was so great. Thank you for having us. And I can't believe this. And he's like and Beyoncé took a selfie with. she took a selfie with every firefighter backstage. By the. Way. Let me tell you something. Like he even thanked them before she accepted the award. You noticed that, right? Yeah. She, by the way, not just thank them.

Beyonce say took the award from both like the two people. She took the award from one hugged both, looked at both in the eye. And I know some people like, man, what's what's the big deal with that for me. those are like some of the moments where I appreciate the humanity of someone more. Because when you've won album of the year, it is a lot easy. It's easy. Anyone who's won an award will know you. You blackout. Yeah. Like I don't judge anyone. I remember when when I won the Emmy. Every thought I had before that.

You've experienced this the first time especially. Or the like. And it was Beyonce's first time. You blackout. You think you know everything before you come in there and they say your name. Your mouth goes a little dry. Your. You go, wait what wait wait wait wait wait. And she had the the humanity. I wouldn't even say the presence of mind to go. I see you, I see you like it's felt very African to me. And then she like then she started with them. And then for me, what was great was seeing it carry on backstage. She like took selfies with it. And this is like, you know, as an artist you don't be taking a selfie.

when you've been crying a little bit and your makeup isn't great. The lighting is not. No Beyonce. It took all the selfies. It's great. The light was terrible backstage. These people were. And she was talking to everybody and laughing. And within, within. It's like crying, laughing. It felt like the full encapsulation. of what the night was about, which is what L.A. feels like. It's going through as a place. and which is what every place that goes through disaster feels like right? You have the shock of the events happening.

You have the the moment where everyone wonders, like how bad it's going to get or how far it will go, and then from that, in the most cliched way, you start noticing little sprouts of hope, and then you start seeing. resilience, and you see the first smile and the first hug and the first you know, and I think that for me, even on a, on a personal level. was a beautiful encapsulation of all of it. And I think I can't speak for her, but I think that's what Beyoncé was feeling.

I don't remember, man. She didn't get she didn't get nominated at the Country Music Awards. No. Imagine what it's what it feels like for Beyoncé. Yeah. You dabble in this thing called country. Now. People think you're dabbling. People don't know how much she loves and grew up on country. You know what I mean? It's proper Texas girl. Proper. You do this thing and then country music awards go. Nah, you didn't even do it to us. Never mind. Like winning. You didn't even do it. And you're like, damn, you know? And then here you are in another awards show and you go,

all right, well, I don't know. I don't know what will happen as an artist. You might have made a terrible mistake. And so I think it's a culmination of everything. It's the room, it's the night, it's the people. It's the journey. It's her personal journey. It's. It's all of it. And I think everyone else in the room felt that for her and for everything, because we want to live in a world where there's a happy ending. We all want that. That's not life, unfortunately, but we all want that.

And in a way that felt like the happy ending. It's the craziest sentence a human being can ever say. But it was like it was amazing that the underdog won. You know, in as well to say, like, Beyonce is the underdog, but that's what it felt like in the room, right? Whether it was Taylor Swift or Billie Eilish or or Shibu Z. or, you know, Busta Rhymes or, you know, Janelle Monae or you name it, people were like, damn, she did it. And I know people like it was Beyonce. It's like, no, no, no. But still, in the same way, Superman at the end of the movie, we go,

oh, he got out from under that building that Zod smashed him with. That's what it felt like. It's like we've been on this journey. And that was. Yeah, it was, it was it was just like a magical real moment to be part of. Did the atmosphere in the room, because obviously you're hosting it. I'm in a truck in the, in the parking lot, basically with all the camera. Oh yeah. You're distracted in a weird. I'm sort of in the most connected and also the most disconnected. You know, I'm across every element in some ways, but then you're not. you're trying to just get. But the feeling in the room.

What was the feeling in the room when Kendrick won? What was the feeling in the room. when Beyoncé won and did the did the did the room change during the night? I think at the beginning everyone was like, how are we supposed to be? But I do feel like at the end. there was just a love in there and it was real warmth. 100%. It did so in the beginning. As you correctly point out, people are kind of looking for permission to act a certain way, but they don't know how to act until you give them their direction. Right. And so in the opening of the show, I think quickly people were there.

to celebrate or to send music overseas music's biggest night, but you made them observe a moment initially and they were like, okay, cool. We with that. And then slowly the show started to open up with the performances, obviously the production, etc. and so on, and people started to feel good about it. Now when you mention Kendrick, I can tell you right now, everybody, when the Kendrick announcement. Well, because it happened twice. Yeah. In the live show at the three awards he won before. both those instances.

when Kendrick won, I think everybody in the building was happy for him. Everybody was happy. Yeah, yeah. They were, to the point where they literally sang. along to not Like us until he stepped on stage. Yes. I will use Drake fan, I was incensed. Oh you were. Yeah. No, he is, he is. Caesar was like. Caesar was like, what is this? Yeah. The crowd chanted in unison. Yeah, I know. That. Yeah. I mean, wow. No, but I think you. Were personally hurt.

So you're seeing, like, the biggest icons in the world doing it. Yeah, I can understand the crowd doing it. You're saying? Yeah, I know the cameras and you see Taylor and Beyonce. saying they're all singing along. Let me tell you something, that that moment was so big. that the only texts I've gotten other than congratulations on the Grammys, the the next number of texts that I've gotten from people without fail. The largest number is this. Like, basically, I'll try and sum them all up in one sentence.

One of my friends wrote in the best way. He said, This was a tough night for you. Light skins, hot. That's what this. That's what people always ask me. Are you okay? What do you mean, am I okay? They're like, yo, yo, that hit Drake so hard, I feel like it sort of spilled into you. Are you okay? Like, because it was such a. and it was organic. That was the room before that. Some sort of was observing the night. That song elicited something in them where they forgot. They participated and. They were just like, sad, sad, sad a minor.

Yeah. But I mean, what do you think it was a side. Do you think that was a turning point, or do you think it was. No no no no no, it already started. So it had started to warm up okay for that. Well what will you say this ending points. I'm interested. I think the person who had the most difficult task all night apart from you. Because obviously you had to that together. I think we gave Sabrina Carpenter a really hard time. Yo, can I tell you. Yes, I can take I can go. Okay, so the thing I obsess about more than anything else, the thing I spend more time on than anything else, is the running order.

What I mean by that is like the order. Everything from like where you go, what a ward. How it first, it's a logistical nightmare. because you got to build one set while you're taking another one down, and you got to time the other one so that this goes up while that goes down. It's like a crazy building process. But act one was Trevor. setting the tone a band doors that had lost everything. And so therefore a band doors who had lost everything. And so therefore you had, almost like an. it was like a beautiful moment where we were like seeing them and seeing,

them experience, I think opening the Grammys, which is really beautiful. Then you go in and we come to Trevor and you're doing your opening, then Billie. Eilish is on literally on a background, got. burnt down, but it's where she comes from and it's a really beautiful song. Then we've got the commercials, which is helping local businesses, and then you get to top of act two, and Sabrina Carpenter has to sing about espresso, and she's doing it while she's doing a comedy. It was a. Full on comedy, and that. Was the moment where it was like, okay, if we've done the work in part one, if all of those things.

Trevor's intro door's motto, but fundraising, let's go big on the fundraising for Billie Eilish commercials. If those five things have worked, then Sabrina is going to be okay and this will be great. If not, then everyone's gonna be like, why is she falling through the stairs? Do you not know what's going on at the well? Yeah, yeah. Hashtag do better all of that. Yeah, yeah. And luckily I think because part one went really well because you did really well. Billie Eilish was incredible because doors was very moving. And fundamentally, Sabrina was unbelievably brilliant and funny.

and charming and like old school Hollywood glam and yeah, yeah, yeah, phenomenal. Like talent that suddenly everybody was up dancing at the beginning of a song. They were not. By the end of the song, they were by the time they got to chapel, everybody was up. And then from Benson, all the way. from Benson to Dosai to Teddy to usher, Boosie to. Right, it was carnage. Everywhere we looked, people were on their feet and I was like, and that was the biggest moment for me. When we finished Best New Artist, I was like, celebrate with Heyman.

She was like, actually, whatever happens from like the next hour. and a half, two hours. like that was a really beautiful way of taking an audience. that you were nervous about. And by the end of Rae, they're on their feet. like, go in this for the best things we've seen. And so yeah, that was that was my member Sabrina had to turn it. So now on that, because you've now reminded me of something that I observed. and I didn't speak to you about it even after the show. Right. You mentioned about the difference that changes. Obviously, you go on stage left and stage right during Sabrina's performance.

She had the part where she's by the porch. Yeah. And at the end, I think they're supposed to. clear the poison so that you can drop the stage on the left. For Cardi B, and Cardi. Would come out performance. And I think there was a delay with clearing that the stage couldn't. drop fully. He delivered the link and I think he had to buy like look like 20s. Correct. My question is, and I've seen these things happen specifically with you, very, very special moments that the viewer doesn't get to understand. because they don't know what I was meant to happen to begin with.

And things will go wrong in a major way. Yeah. I've never seen you. I've never heard you shout out. I've never seen you lose your composure. Is that a matter of just experience, or is that how you are as a person? Well, that was Trevor's fault. That moment with Cardi, he doesn't know it but that was Travis fault. I know his the way he speaks I know his pace that he speaks. So when I do a link I time it out and I read it as Trevor's. voice in my brain and I time how long it's going to take to do the porch.

And for that to come down, I want you to go back, and I want you to watch that for some reason. And I have no idea why somebody pressed times. for on Trevor Noah and you ways through this leg. It didn't matter in any way. You waste through a link that you would never, ever was through before. I don't even remember what the link was, but you literally okay the fundraising on the thing. But here's somebody who did it that a Cardi B, I was like, oh my God, what happened? And I and I had forgotten to go, hey, I'm going to need you to read this.

Yeah. Is your normal human being voice you ways through it? And suddenly I was like, oh no, the porch isn't clear. So we just cut wide to seven. Do you know what? They're such big things in the show. I, I don't lose my call it that. I'm also a bit like what the audience going to be so surprised. that the porch has to be taken away and that, like, I'm also a bit like it doesn't need that is the least of our is. the worry for me was best New Artist and how we logistically did that, because that was impossible for Hamish and Haley. Our directing team, to do. But but that moment was just like, well, one of those things did really bother me.

I'll tell you why. I went four times. She's remember. Doing it. Yeah, I'll tell you why, but I'll tell you after the break. Don't go anywhere because we got more. What now? After this. What was the link? So the link you're talking about was. Coming out of Sabrina, going into the monologue, going into the table talk, moving around. So she.

Says no, it wasn't it. Wasn't there. Well, you were right by the first part. You came out of Sabrina, came. Out of Sabrina. And you, you went you did the whole thing about jokes. Leave them to me. Yeah, but you did them under the applause so that was done. You weren't going into a. Oh, yeah. This was coming out of Sabrina, coming out. Of Sabrina into Cardi. B, and then going into the. It just didn't go into best rap album. It was a small link. But you. Okay? I can tell you, but I can tell you what the feeling was. So. one of the biggest unknowns.

coming into this show was where would the audience be, right? How many people are in that room? What do you think? 14,000? Maybe 14? Yeah, I mean, if you think, yeah, probably 14. Now, the weird thing about doing live TV and especially an award show or anything. like that, is you're balancing two balls that are very differently sized. You have the TV audience, which is massive, and then you have the live audience, which is tiny in comparison.

However, the live audience has a direct and immediate impact on you. The TV audience does not. Yeah, but now if you ignore the live audience, that is at your peril as a performer because they will never be with you. And if you don't have the room, you don't have the right energy. that gets you to where you need to be in whatever you're saying. They're not listening. They're not paying attention. They're not coming with you, they're not laughing. You name it. If you only pay attention to. the room, the person at home is going, well, clearly this is not for me. Yeah, this is taking too long.

This is. And you've watched an award show with it feel self-indulgent, and you're. sitting at home, and then the people, they're like, nice shoes. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. And you're like, all right. Clearly this is not about me. I'm just watching people. But this is the delicate dance. You are making a show for television, but they aren't 200 people in that room with you. There are 14,000 people in the room with you. So they are as important in a weird way as the people at home. And yet they show very different purposes. So your pace for the people in the room is different to your pace.

For the people at home. Your pace for a joke is different, your pace for everything. So in these moments, what I'm experiencing is. I've just felt where the room is when we've come out of the top of the show. and I've gone, damn, we have a lot of work to do tonight. because people aren't as. celebratory as they normally are. So now when people are saying, how are you and how have you been.

at every table with it's Cynthia Erivo talking to Taylor Swift. with, it's John Legend going over and talking to, you know, Esperanza Spalding or whoever it is, everyone there is going, how are you? Normally it's like, hey, what's up? How you feeling? Yeah, baby. Oh, look at, you know, now people like, how are you? It doesn't matter. Y how are you? And now I'm going, oh, man, this is not where I would do the jokes that I thought I would do.

And I've got to move that. I'm doing all of this in my head here. I'm trying to think of how we're shifting things. I'm trying to think of. And I mean, you know me well, both of you do. After every show I go, there's a million things I could have done better, you know? But because I know comedy. so precarious, I'm always like, oh, it's the death of you. You know, to to to what you said at the beginning of the conversation. Like, look at what happened with Jo Koy. I remember, like everyone, like laughing, our Jo Koy. Then people said to me, they were like, Trevor Jo Koy, that was terrible, right? I was like, I take no joy in that. There's literally no part of me that was like,

haha, yeah, Jo Koy no, I was going as a fellow comedian, yo, my man, I'm not happy and I know what that's like as a feeling. You know, any performer who's had especially a stand up comedian, I'll never look at them be like, oh yeah, you idiot. No. And it also compounds because the more you lose the room. Oh, the worst performance front. And then even less compelling to even you. Oh, know. My friend, you know it very well. So in this moment I'm going. We have to edit what the show is or isn't going to be.

because I've responded to what's happened in like the monologue. And I've felt because I'm, you know, me, I'm doing it dynamically. I'm trying to feel where the people are because contrary to popular. belief, you know, and I wish like people would understand this, especially online. There is almost no comedian. that is getting on stage to try and make you feel it's. the very act of being a comedian, is people who want to go on stage. to make other people feel better. They like a laugh, they like making people laugh.

Right? But now. as as like the aperture has expanded and as like. things are moved out of context, people are subjected to comedy that they maybe didn't. ask for all they're watching, something that isn't for them. And I understand that, you know, that's the nature of of entertainment. and TV and social media and particular clipping of things, etc.. Right? So I know as a performer, oh man, if I don't get that right. or if that moves or if I can get the it's going to create the wrong.

ripple effect for the show, not even for me. And I don't want the show to have that kind of feeling. I don't want people coming up now if I'm having a terrible time. Cardi B doesn't come on and like, laugh and giggle when she's presenting the work. If I'm having a terrible time, Gloria Estefan doesn't come on like, thanks, Trevor and a little fun little bounce in her vibe if I'm having a terrible time. J.Lo and Heidi Klum don't pull off Benson Boone's outfit the same way. Now they go like, oh. Can we do this? Can we pull off this guy's I don't know if I want to be part of. Jim Gaffigan is not jumping in. Yeah.

You know, which for me was my favorite joke of the night. Easily, easily. Funny joke and shout out, shout out to Jim. Let me tell you something, man. There are few things I love more than comedians who love jokes. more than anything else. Because like the reason I say shout out to Jim Gaffigan. He's one of my favorite human beings. He's one of my favorite comedians by far. I didn't tell Jim Gaffigan that this was going to happen. No, I didn't I didn't prompt him. I didn't preempt it. I didn't do anything. And I'm sorry, Jim, I really apologize, but I only thought about it the day of because the writers.

Right. So the night before the. Grammys only happened that day? Yeah. Night before the Grammys, Luca gets traded to, the Lakers. Yeah. Anthony Davis goes to the Mavericks. Yeah. Massive news, secret messages. Me first thing in the morning. He's like, yo, big things happened. I'm like, yep, I know Dan Meyer, one of the writers on the on the team. He messages me. He's like, we got to make a joke about this. There's got to be a trade joke or something. So I'm like, all right, we got it. We got to do something. We'll figure it out. I get to the venue, I'm like, okay, I got it, I got it.

I'm looking at the seating chart and I go, Jim Gaffigan gets up, coming back from an ad break. Now I'm like, I'm screwing Ben. I hope I'm not. So I'm trying to find the least impactful place where this could happen. So I go, I loved it. So I go, let's get Jim Gaffigan to stand up and say, welcome back. During the break, Trevor Noah was traded to Dallas. And so I'm now your host. I know I'm I'm I'm as shocked as you are. People love it in the room. We pitch it to you. You love. Everyone's like there's going to be great. And then, like you, I made the giant producers mistake. I didn't ask Jim Gaffigan bad.

Ass. Yeah, that was happening. during the show because I said, Is Gaffigan in? Is it? I spoke to Gaffigan and Kate Dowd. Who was with you? She had. Not that I'm aware of. I was it was somebody might need to go and tell Jim Gaffigan. Nobody had a joke to Jim Gaffigan. And then I. This this is a mess. This is where, like, literally like you, I made a massive assumption. I go, Jim Gaffigan, if you know anything about his comedy, his writing, the way he creates shows and who he is, this. man has an insatiable appetite for jokes.

Jim Gaffigan loves funny. So I made the mistake as a fan of his. Not even as like a peer. As a fan of his. I went, there's no way Jim Gaffigan wouldn't love this. And I thought, I'm. just going to go up to him right before he has to do it and tell him. I also know that Jim Gaffigan can host shows. I also know that he's fantastic and he's calm under pressure. He's like, Jim Gaffigan is a stone cold killer in that way. You know what I mean? So in my head, I mean, all these assumptions. and then at the last minute, someone said, has anyone spoken to Jim Gaffigan? And I went with you. I was like, whatever. I was like, no. And then I said, I'll go.

And I went, and I found Jim on the floor. This was like maybe like a. two act sort of in. So I think it was off to Sabrina Carpenter and all of that. And I went, Jim, there's a joke, here's a joke. And I pitched it to him. Thank God he immediately found it funny. And I was like, please, this is how you know I trust you, but this is how it needs to be performed. And then the Red Hot Chili Peppers are coming, and I need you to not diminish their moment. Oh, yeah. Because that's the only thing I said to you. Yeah, because I was like, we've promised them. This is these guys, this is Californication. These guys are coming up for L.A.

this thing can't be goofy. Please. And Jim, the consummate professional. Yeah, the best comedian out there doing his thing, like, got up there. and then, honestly, like, that moment for me as well was such a, it was such a like wonderful team moment. And I mean, you heard the room. easily my favorite joke of the night, like my father. Who a lot of people would say, yeah. Easily my favorite joke. Yeah. But that's why I don't see. I think the room was better than you think it was in so many ways. I think. No no no no no. I'm by the time you got to act three, it was, it was like they loved it. Yeah.

So what I'm saying is this, like, I'm also measuring it by. how much I can contribute and what I can do. Right? I'm not judging the room. No, I understand. But I know that as Trevor, the certain things I should be, you know, certain marks I should be hitting or certain. certain connections that I should be making. But, you. know, you know, this, like making a live show. is like flying a plane and then. discovering something's wrong with it while it's flying, and you have to fix it. Yeah, 100%. Oh, the wing is loose, but we can't land. It's live.

A normal TV show. You go. Cut, cut, cut, cut! Help me! All right, everybody, hey, let's land the plane. Let's fix the wing. Live show doesn't do that. Live show goes. We are flying, and there's a massive error. Can somebody, go down and check on the landing gear while we're flying? Someone go check the wing while we're flying. Hey, check the windscreen. Check the apparatus, check the equipment, check the while we're flying. So I even as Trevor, as a comedian, there's moments. where the show is happening, and I'm going, I would have done that differently. I could have done that differently. The person I was looking at wasn't there. So then I have to change this. I'm going to move that.

I'm going to edit the that, but it's live. Yeah. I don't want to mess up your timing. It's not about me. So if I missed with a joke or anything. Yeah, I should keep moving. Yeah. I can't be like, wait, wait. Hold on. Audience. Let me give you ten minutes that I know is. Going to know. But what you are good at. and this is where I actually messed up, I think in the bit with Cardi, which is what started this discussion, was that I just wasn't on my timing. and I'm always in his ear the whole show and I'll be like, I need you. Yeah, I need you to to like, go a bit longer here. Yeah. Beyonce's not in her seat for country album.

The weekend set isn't set. You know all of those things in your unbelievable act. Like there was one bit where you stood next to Billie. Eilish and I said, mate, I really need a favor. I'm so sorry. Like, I know this is a quick link, but I need you to fill for like a minute, and you stand there and it's the most natural thing. I watched the show last night. I sat in my house, Harvey came over and we watched it. We got Carrie and we watched it together because I can actually enjoy it. And you're brilliant. You stand, they go, hey, you. You're like, hey, Billie, how are you doing? And she's like, oh. And you do a whole thing. No, but you see nothing. Yeah, but no.

Could say something. About it was because I needed the time. And meanwhile everyone's building the set or whatever, and you're just you found it. No one would ever know that. I'm in your. We're going to take a bit longer. Yes, but this is also where people sort of. I wish they could be in my brain for some of these moments. This is like one of the moments I'm talking about. We're coming back from an ad break, right? Right. Before we come back, you say, Trevor, we need extra time. I go, okay, that's fine. We need extra time. I'm here. You like? Yeah. Speak to anyone or whatever. So I'm right there. I look down and I go, who's around me?

I'm like, oh, Billie Eilish is here. Finishes you. But now literally we're coming back. And three, two, one just before we go. Like action essentially to me, Billie looks at me. with terror in her eyes and she goes, oh. But she doesn't go oh, oh, like a funny oh. She goes like like she goes, oh, oh. Like, please don't do this to me now. I wasn't going to do anything to her. But now I'm like, oh man, I don't even want it to seem like. I was doing something to her. Because here's the thing that people also don't get right. I know it's easy to put people up on pedestals.

and like they're artists and they've won awards. And the yo, I know it's hard to imagine this, but there are human beings under all of these veneers. There are human beings under these Twitter handles. There are human beings under the dress rehearsal. There's human beings under the like tops. You name a top album, there's a human being. Hundreds. And then. my job for me, as Trevor is, I'm not coming in there. to make your night less fun or less enjoyable because you are also. on the edge of your seat wondering if you're going to win a Grammy.

You wondering if your work is going to be lauded, you wondering if you're going. to be rewarded by your peers, by the thing that you've spent so much time doing. Nobody wants to lose. Nobody wants to be a loser. No one wants people to, like, laugh at them. I don't care who you are. Nobody wants that feeling. So for me, as the host, I'm. looking down at this person who's now just gone, like, man. And I've been with Billie Eilish, like at all the Grammys. This is the first time she's ever didn't. Billie's never looked at me and gone, oh, she hasn't.

Finneas, look at me like, what's up? Hey. Hey, this is the first time she went, oh, like. And I was like, But now we're live. Now. Now, what are we doing that the Supremes. Still needs a fruit for. Now. You knew what it was I needed. And so now I see it. That's why I said the honest thing, which was like. Billie, I don't know why you're saying I'm not going to. And she'd like she. She's looking at me like, I don't trust you. This is coming. And so that moment is honest. And I think that's. sometimes the thing that people miss in a lot of these moments, you know, like, when was it like, right after the Grammys, for instance?

It was I think it was, you know, maybe. So someone contact me, they're like, hey, man, how do you feel? Some people are like, feeling bad about, like, some of the jokes or whatever on the show. I was like, I get it. But I like. the one thing that I wish people would get with comedy comedians. I'll speak for everyone, but I think I speak for most comedians. We're trying to make people laugh. We try to have a good time. All right. The hottest place to experience a collective, safe. comedy show is where everyone isn't the same.

And the Grammys, for instance, is the best place for strangers. and people who don't normally come together to come together. But it's also one of the most precarious places for comedy, because the number one thing that comedy needs is context. Do you know what I mean? So like, I saw someone who said, you arrogant American, how can you say this shit about my people? Then I was like, I'm not American. Someone was like, how could you make that joke about immigrants? How dare you? You know, you American. What? Then I was like, oh, I thought you knew that as an immigrant, do you know?

But those are small things that you can take for granted as a performer. You go, oh yeah, because you've tuned into the show for an artist that maybe you never tune in. for what you don't. You don't know me and you don't. You have this assumption that the shows in America, this person talking about L.A.. Yeah, that's an American. I'm like, no, no, I mean, I'm an immigrant. making a joke about the idea of immigrants by some people in and. and those are the moments where you go like, oh, damn, I'm always. But does it bother you that people like, does it get to you.

because the majority of stuff is positive, but yet you think about the no. No. So I don't think of it. It's a weird one to say. I don't think of it personally, because I don't think it's personal. There's two things that I do. whenever I look at any type of outrage or any type of criticism. Actually three things. Number one, I always acknowledge that the size and scope of it. are a lot smaller than than we think. You know, you often say this is true in general. How many people are saying. a thing is oftentimes nowhere near true.

You know, the amount of people saying it's just the few people can be loud. That's the first thing I think of. The second one is it affects me on a professional level. because then I go, I always take it on me, I go, I didn't do that properly. You know, one of my favorite things I heard was, I don't think he's credited, but I loved Anthony. Jeselnik was on a on a podcast, was talk about comedy and the idea. And he said something that I that I loved and is true.

He said, art is getting away with it, you know? And so I don't care who you are as a comedian, you know, whether you are Dave Chappelle or Chris Rock or Trevor Noah, Anthony. Jeselnik or Jim Gaffigan or Katie Flanagan or you name it, getting away with it is what makes it. It means that the people have fully understood the context that you were. delivering a joke with, and you managed to bring them into your world to say it. That's why a comedian can make a joke about, you know, the most heinous things. You know, we talk about this all the time in England with like, Jimmy call.

Jimmy saying the most horrible things, you know, or, you know, killing his family jokes or, jokes about like, mass murder or whatever it is, but because the audience knows he's Jimmy and they know that this is a joke, that there's a full context. As soon as the context gets removed, people react or respond differently, you know what I mean? And so on a professional level, I just always it's a good reminder. to me always to go like, all right, you can you can work a little bit better. How do you craft that perfect joke? Like, Chappelle when he was on SNL?

For me, that was one of his best performances I've ever seen. And I told him I was like, yo, the way you think of the line when he says. people were laughing at people are celebrities losing their houses. People like, yeah, burn your house, burning house. And then he goes, and that's why I hate poor people. Yeah, if you mess with that joke, the headline is Dave Chappelle says he hates poor people, but that man delivered it with such precision and perfection. in the moment, in the tone, in the everything that everyone knew. It was a joke and they knew that it was a misdirect.

And what he was, it worked. You don't even have to get technical. It worked. Right. And so as a comedian, when I miss, I don't go screw the audience. I go, a little, a little bit. You know, you could try that. Yeah, try, try something different. They move that around. Where's the audience? How do you meet them? What are they thinking? What are they not thinking? Because my intention is never to go out there, and, that's not what I'm doing, so it doesn't affect me. The third thing I do. is try and contextualize it all, and I think that's.

one of the great things that I've enjoyed about working on the Grammys. We live in a world. where people are spending less and less time. with people who are not like them. We live in silos. People don't mix with people from other religions. People don't have conversations with someone who has a different. political point of view. People on sitting down at tables with somebody who listens to different music. It's not happening as much as it used to. Right? You know, we talked in one of the previous episodes with, Mkbhd Marques Brownlee.

We talked about, like, this idea of the, the audience of one, how the For You page on social media is a fantastic invention, but it's also taking something away from society that we never knew we needed, which was to have a collective page. Did you see the thing you saw the thing I saw the thing. There's fewer and fewer instances of that. It's the Super Bowl is the World Cup, it's the Grammys. You know what I mean? You're for you page my for you. People can be completely different.

So what we think reality is, is completely different. None of us is wrong, but it's different. And so what I do is I contextualize it. And the reason I say the Grammys is helped me do that is because. I have been at five Grammys now, and I've watched how people have been offended, by the way, not by me. I've been lucky, like people have been great, like for most of it. But like, I've seen people get offended at Sam. Smith's performance that one year people, like, get offended. Yeah. How could he? How do what what how? Ha.

I've seen people get offended by, you know, like, oh, Shakira, really? There are children watching and you're going to dance and it's like, it's like, no, no, no, the content, because they didn't. If you know Shakira, you know, this is Shakira. This is great. I've seen people get offended by a rap act that's come on. And someone who has like 1 or 2 of the lyrics and the like, how can they say you're going to put. that person on a public television show and let them say that? How how could they say that sentence? I've seen people get offended by how some of the artists are dressed during a show.

You know, this is family viewing. How could I have seen some people get offended. just because an artist performs after another artist? I've seen. the downside. of humans coming together who are not homogenous. is there's likely to be more offense. The upside is that's when you get the most beautiful tapestry. And I think that's what we experienced on the night. I saw people stand and cheer for Dooce. because they had discovered her with that performance.

Dolce new Dolce. But people were standing up like, man, I just discovered Dolce. People were standing and cheering for Ortiz. because they're like, I never, I never chaperoned. They're like, is this what a chapel run is? Yeah, Charlie, I saw old people. start like, I don't know what this is. You know, the weekend, that whole laser show, the whole. And I and I think that thing for me, I might be in the minority, but I think. the risk of people being offended.

for me is worth bearing. If it means we're all at least in the same space to be offended, because I think society needs more of that. And so, honestly, on a personal level, I always just put my head down and I go do better, Trevor. And I don't mean do better, like change the subject. I go like, no, how can you then in future create something with a context isn't lost. If I make a joke. and the point of the. joke is what it is and then you get angry, I really don't care. But if you go, oh, you.

You said this and it. what it meant, then I'm like, no, no, no, that's not what I meant. Then I go, okay, then. I needed to do better. Yeah, I go as a comedian. Being that. Claim man, I was a comedian. I'm like, okay, yeah. And I and I look at a joke and I go. tell it ten other different ways. How could you tell it in ten different ways. so that the person who's listening to it would feel different about it? It's it's a different world that we live in now. This is going off from the Grammys really. But like a for you when you do this podcast. Right, and you're out there and you're doing Daily. Show, when you used to do it, you're writing comedy, you're doing things,

you're now talking to an audience that often will be offended. for no reason, but sometimes might be offended for a reason. Do you have to change in the last few years? Do you think you've had to change the way you are. because of the way people react to stuff? Now? Do you over censor yourself? Are you more cautious in the way you speak? Are you worried about that? Is that or. do you still have just the freedom to say whatever you think is right and funny? I actually think I've gone the opposite way. Wow. And I'll tell you why. When I was hosting The Daily Show,

I wasn't just hosting the Daily Show, I was executive producing the Daily Show. I was, in effect, the employer of 170 odd people. I think at the peak, 190 people. Me and my other executive producer, this is our job. is to not just make a good show, but keep these people employed. Like that's the pressure that comes with hosting a show. is that if you get kicked off the air, it's not just me, it's my camera guys, it's my team, it's my this, it's my. And so in my head, I'm going as fails, not me.

Fails us fails. All right. So if I say something that hurts. this collective, can I stand by that? Oh, Trevor, you made this joke, and now the Daily Show doesn't exist anymore. And I'm like, yeah, I don't care. Yeah, but I do care because I, you know, I know Benny's kid, I do care. Do you know what I mean? I hang out with Zach, I do, I do care. So that's the biggest thing for me now. I'm a lot more nimble. And secondly, I also believe, you know.

And Aaron who, who, who, who does my hair for. not just for the but for the Grammys and a bunch of things here in LA. She said it beautifully the other day. She said, I feel like we're moving into the age of authenticity, and I believe that. And so I go, you know, we talked to to Marcus about it on the show. We talk about everything. You know, man, I no longer live in a space where. I think things should be about like the publicity or the PR of it's. if someone says to me, I didn't like that joke, I go, tell me why.

And they tell me. And I go, oh yeah, that's that's not what I meant. But thanks for the notes. And I'm going to try and tweak something or move it. I won't not say things. What I am more cognizant of, though, is that we have lost so much context. So even when I'm in South Africa doing a podcast with Caesar and Anele, or even if I'm telling a joke in Abu Dhabi, or. if I'm doing like a TV show in Sydney, Australia, I know that that joke doesn't end in Australia anymore. I know that that podcast doesn't end in South Africa anymore.

I know that the Grammys doesn't end in L.A. anymore. And so now what I'm trying to do, which is very hard, I'm not going to say it like in a woe is me way, actually. I actually like hard things. I like challenges, I go, wow, how do you tell a joke. that maintains its context across borders? It's almost impossible. But I love the opportunity and the challenge. And so now I actually say more, but I spend more time. trying to get to the context, so that makes sense.

Yeah. So now Ben, to you. Right. I guess in the same vein, when you used to do. The Late Late Show, which obviously is do you also epi of that. was in some ways an extension of the work you do at the Grammys. So for example, the week. leading up to the Grammys, sometimes you do have a guest on that. throw for the Grammys. And if anything were to happen because it's only one night's the Grammys, if anything would have happened on the Sunday evening, you'd have had an opportunity, maybe on the Monday evening to interview.

whomever the person was, clarify whatever you clarified, etc. and so on. Without the Late Late Show. Now, do you find that you don't get to do a do over? Is that something that actually filters into your mind at all? Because I used to obviously see the synergy between the two shows. Just having, you know, being around in proximity to you guys, I'd see how the one would work with the other. Yeah. I think I miss with The Late Late Show. It's not specifically missing. replying to something that's happened because I don't I don't think,

I don't think this stuff I would ever go in is ever. goes into that kind of controversial, the Grammys. I can think of two moments, probably in the five Grammys. I've done, including last night. So whenever it was two nights ago, that was I got a bit of stick for WAP. with Cardi. And yeah. I remember that. My answer. on that one was Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion wanted to do that performance. They were excited about it. And who am I to say no? Actually, who am I to censor that and say no, you shouldn't do that.

You need to be more like this. That's just not ever the job of someone like me. And then the Sam Smith one also. You're right, it did. People people got I got texts from a couple of people, who were like, it was inappropriate. More from the religious perspective because of stress. Yeah, yeah. Some people were, there was a couple of people who said, you know, I don't think. I'll be able to watch the Grammys anymore because of that. And I loved that performance, and I thought it was amazing. But like, I, I have to say, I've, I've probably changed a little bit. I've got two little girls now.

I had them then, but maybe they were of an age. where they're repeating stuff and they were, you know, sitting in the front row at the dress rehearsal watching Charlie X, and I was a bit like, oh gosh, my five year old's like, grinding, you know, like throwing your panties in the air and I'm not. Oh no, what have I done? But I probably a bit more conscious of it. I was a bit. more like gung ho maybe five years ago, and now I am a bit more conscious that, you know, you are making a show that you want America. to feel comfortable watching, not just your America. And so I'm very aware of that. And I think that that that comes into me. As for what, like The Late Late Show,

I don't miss being I was respon because it's James's show, not mine. Yes, I was the showrunner as well, but it was it. What I miss is something will happen in the world and you have no outlet. to make a joke about it or make a sketch about it, or there'll be something that happens in pop culture and your black. Are this a great idea for like a spoof music video? I miss that hugely. But not in response to work that I'm doing. Really. That's that's not what I miss. But but but I definitely miss. that power of creating an hour of television. every day, because it was just the most remarkable thing.

I think about the Grammys, and it's like months of work for like that four hours. Whereas at least The Late Late Show, you turn up every morning, you have a blank page, you and you can do whatever you want. And that next day you can't celebrate the good ones or mourn. the bad ones because you got another one tomorrow, you know? Whereas if something goes wrong at the Grammys and luckily it didn't. And in fact, I was happier than I've ever been after this Grammys. Weirdly, I felt the most, like weight off my shoulders at the end. as it actually felt that from me, so I did. I did because we had the we had like no technical issues.

We had no technical issues, and it gone well. And I really felt like everything that we wanted with. But, you know, you had. done that high wire act brilliantly and the performances had worked. So it wasn't my favorite Grammys. that we've done, even though everyone's saying, oh, oh yeah, yeah. But it wasn't my favorite Grammys ever. But it was the biggest relief I've had because, I was just like, oh man, thank God it's over. The weekend didn't get leaked like that was a secret. Oh yeah, a long time. And Best New Artist is something I've wanted to do for so long. And yeah, I just thought it all worked really well.

And I thought the other thing is, you know, that thing. that you carry around and the voting has nothing to do with me. I don't even have a vote. Of course I don't. But everyone's going, you know, Beyoncé is going to win out with you. It was such a relief that it happened. But also talking about like offense, I personally have gotten texts. that have been delivered to me through, like, I don't even know how. like people know a person, you know, literally people being like, how dare you say Beyonce made a country album? Do you? Let me tell you something that don't you dare.

But like people like people fighting with me, by the way. Like I made a category, like I vote. Yeah, like I chose. Yeah. I'm even going like, okay, first of all, I don't know how you got this to me, but I also cannot do anything for you, me, myself as Trevor, I cannot do anything for you. Right. So. But, but but that's what I mean by like offense in that way. And and here's the thing. Here's the thing that's, that's that's tough in life. What's tough in life is we. should always remember that the car crash gets the most attention.

Yeah. Right. And it's just the way humans are designed. You know, sometimes we try and make it insidious. All the news companies, they they'll always cut to the thing. Yeah. But also as humans, we look at the car crash. How was your drive, man? There was a massive accident. How was your drive? I don't even know. You don't report the fact that the highway moved freely. You report the fact that there was a giant pile up. Okay, so I also understand this. And I tried to remind myself of it and think of it for people, but, like what I appreciate, I will say of the Grammys.

So when I have the phrase like, it's. not my favorite Grammys, I'm only talking on like a technical level. and on a like ease of, you know, it's like if I was if I was a pilots, I was going, so my favorite flight because of the storm and the turbulence and all of that. Yeah. However, and I mean this honestly getting to the end of that show, seeing the types of hugs that people were giving each other, seeing. the way that people were responding to what had happened, seeing donkey like, celebrating her performance backstage, like, you know, like.

the greatest moment ever when she's like, we did that shit, you know what I mean? Seeing like, everyone, every single person experience something. so special, you know, with us, like Bruno, like Bruno Mars, people don't miss. That guy loves music and doing it well. So you don't just see to see that in every way. And then on top of that. ended with like firefighters coming up to you and people like, thank you. I was like, you can't thank me for five hours coming up, man. Thank you so much. And I'll be honest, that's what keeps me going. Yeah.

And I always say, there's this phrase I, I, I, it came into my head a few years ago and it was. let everything you experience in life. be a question, be an answer to a question you already have. That's what I said to myself, that everything that happens to. you in life be an answer to a question you already have. And I was like, you don't know what the question may be, but when something happens to you, let it be an answer. So. your car is taking long.

You given the car to a valet or something. It's not coming and you're standing. Then you may be the answer to your question am I a patient person? Is being answered right now? Do you know what I'm saying? It's an answer to that question. Someone says to you, hey, your shirt looks nice. And you go, oh, thank you. And you feel something? That's an answer to the question. Do I care how people think I'm dressed? Take it the way you want to, but it's an answer to a question you didn't know you had. And for me personally, when like, a firefighter comes up to me.

and goes, you know, like, one of the like, I think it was one of the Chiefs. She was standing on stage. Yeah. Sheila doing the actual award. Sheila came to me and she went, you. And I was like, oh, God. And she went, she's like, I've got a bone to pick with you, kid. And I was like, what? She's like, you gave me so many amazing years. at The Daily Show, and then you go off and live life. She's funny though, and she's really is. It's like, you just leave me like this. She's like, I'm glad you're doing everything else you're doing. But oh, just give me a hug.

And it's like that moment and then like, what. Was the question that she answered in that moment, though? The question that she answered for me was, am I doing it for anybody? Right? Does it mean anything to anybody else? You know, is it like, because I I'll be I'll be frank with you. and are you know that like, you know, this intrinsically about me. I don't care for most things and I don't do it for me, genuinely. I have a great time, like doing most things, just like whatever. When it's outward facing.

I don't care for most stuff, but in those moments, I remind myself that it's not always about me. And I see her joy and I'm like, oh yeah, man, try and remember those people. You know, like the other firefighter comes up to me. and he's he's just talking about like the stuff I've said and the way. I've made him laugh and, and I go like, oh yeah, don't forget those people. And, and for me, the Grammy's in that way. I know it's not the reason. Reason, but to your point, when you go, damn. the Grammys itself,

sitting near like $10 million that has been raised just on one night. from, you know, literally from the top, from doors. coming all the way through Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, and then you name it. all the way down to that final performance with Charlie, and you go like, every single person had to come together to do this. And in the same way, every single person who donates. it has to come together like, I'm, I didn't know this, but now I'm even more proud knowing that each contribution wasn't 10,000.

Dollars of yeah, I. Was just like, yo, man. And that's why I kept saying it the whole night. Just give what you can. It's not about like, this is not about like, just give what you can. And I think that was the lesson for me of doing the whole Grammys for this year was. everyone just give what you can in every situation. $5 doesn't help anybody who's lost their house. It doesn't. But if everybody can give $5, you'll be shocked at what can happen. Do you know what I mean? Trevor? I know actually what happened. Yeah. Trevor. No, I can't make the Grammys.

I can't I can't make it good and I can't make it bad, but I can contribute to it. You know, everyone can. And even like the recording members. voting, you know, no one can make Beyonce happy. You can't for 13,000 people came together from the music industry. and made her happier. I argue than I've ever seen her. because I don't know her personally in that way, but like, I don't know. And I think that was that was the overarching feeling for me. And isn't that kind of, I suppose the nub and the joy of doing a show.

like the Grammys, that it's actually so consequential in so many people's lives. If you do one of your evening shows, one of your evening shows. Yeah, you can make a person feel good, but you do the show on behalf of the Academy. It literally means so much to all of those artists that are in attendance at. Yeah. And I also want to stress this for people. you don't understand how many artists are in that room. I know we see the big artists. Yeah. And you know them. But man, you walk down and you see like a composer.

who is having the night of their lives sitting with their spouse. All they've done is compose or even, like, conduct classical music. And they are just like, this is the pinnacle of what I've worked for. Sorry I cut you off. Carry on. And so while you're not in charge of, like, who wins and who loses, you certainly are in charge, for example, of who gets a performance. In what way? That's right. Right. And you've also got a very personal relationship with the artist. I've seen it, I've experienced it. Does it ever get to it?

Not all of them. The some of them. That's exactly it. Does it ever get so far? Is it as to attention or I suppose in order to make your relationship. even better because of it does get a decision you've taken? Yeah, 100%. There will be artists who I've got relationships with. and they'll be like, I've got a new single, I've got it. I'm going to save it for the Grammys. And I'm like, oh, I don't know if I'm going to survive. All right, this is awkward. Yeah. There's like really lovely things. I'd say, like the three, the three performances. that I was really excited about for a long time.

Not a long time, actually. Some of them were a long time when I when it was actually, I called, I called Brandi Carlile, who's a really good mate of mine, and I said to a really, I'd been listening to I Love Ella. in my car, going between the hotel downtown where we were evacuated. to, and my house where I was sitting during the day. because I never thought the fires were going to come and take my house away. But I did think like an ember could fly over and like a small little FA. becomes a big one, right? So I just decided. the kids would be downtown in the hotel, which is where I would sleep. And then I, in the day would come and sit in my garden idahos at the front.

I was. of place when the. three houses. Right. So I would sit there all day on my laptop, doing work by the window in the garden, and I'd just like look in case it was embers, because I can put out an ember. But like, you know what? You're like. You're like. Would you like that. kind of zombie apocalypse with, like, a tiny little rifle? Yeah. And just like I'm. I'm going to protect my family. To protect. My house. Yeah, but no, but it's true. Because the truth of it is my house is only going to burn down because we were.

we were at the edge of Brentwood. So the fire was a long. it was a mile and a half, but it was it was close, but it wasn't close enough. If it was coming for us like it did with Palisades or I'll take out IRA, I would have been able to get in my car and go, but it was more likely that something got lot of trees over the house. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was just like, I think it would be better for me just to be there, put out a little fire. Yeah. Then it become a big fire and then it's too late. So that's what we decided. It's not. I promise you, it's not as risky as it sounds.

But I was listening to I Love Ella. and I again, going back to our earlier point. that I've suddenly become obsessed with the city. I don't know what's happened to me, but, so I'll be listening to and I'll be like, what a great way that is making me feel good. I love that song. Maybe if Randy Newman would allow us to change some of the lyrics, which he did. But then I was like, who performs it? And at one point I was like, Stevie Nicks would be great. And then I was like, Miley Cyrus would be quite fun. Would that be cool? And then I thought, well, Red Hot Chili. Peppers would be great, but they'd never do. I love her like they'd want to do their own song, which might, which is amazing.

But then it would be a bit more somber. Yeah, yeah. It's a very somber. So I called Brandi Carlile and I went, I really like this song. She thinks, good idea. Who do you think I should do? You think pink? Do you think, like, who do you think? And she said, have you heard of the band Dawes? And I was like, it's funny. I actually just watched them on Kimmel two nights ago. because I know that there were I didn't know them well, but I knew of them. and their house like one of the houses, but now parents house, all of that. And she was like, I know them. And they're like incredible musicians. And so I was like, maybe we do that and we put a supergroup around them.

So that was an amazing moment. Doing a zoom with that band. And they were like, why is the Grammys calling us like that? Not that they're not amazing, but like, they're not nominate a band. And I was like, I'd like to speak to you. And I got on a zoom with Taylor and Griffin and their manager, Brian, and I said, look, with me, I want you to open the Grammys. Come follow in the footsteps of Prince and Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson. and and they were kind of like, oh my God, this is insane. And it's a weird moment for them because they know they've just. experienced the biggest sadness in their life.

They've lost everything. But then out of that comfort. Out of that, they're opening the Grammys. So it's like a really amazing thing they were dreamt of as kids. And then it's a real weird feeling for them. because you're like, well, I'm only getting that. Yeah, I'm not going to. Yeah, the doors aren't going to open the Grammys at this stage. They might in a few years, but right now. they're not opening the Grammys unless that happens. So that's actually a bit of a head screwing thing for them. But that was beautiful because I knew it could be amazing. And I knew they were great musicians. And every musician we call John Legend, Brittany Howard except Sheryl Crow,

I, we met Bob Dylan's manager and I haven't heard back yet, but I'm hoping maybe we'll get a reply. Maybe he's in South Africa. Yeah, I'll be in South Africa taking time away. So those schools were fun. And then Ryan Docherty was really fun because I've been a fan of those. for a long time. Yeah, both of those I've known off for a while. And then when Colbert put, oh man. Your camera shot of the doji thing, like made it look like she just, like, hated me. Did you see that? No, that was just like. But this is what I mean about, like, the aperture and life, right?

Go on. So the joke we always have at the Grammys is this who you cut. to defines the moment. I would have. Like, for instance, if you if I make a joke about Taylor Swift. and you cut to Taylor Swift and Taylor Swift is like, It's over, over. It's over now, what. Happened? That happened to Joe Coy? Yeah. No, that's what happens now. You she might have been going for anything, but if you cut you at the wrong time and you have it. Happened to you, I think four years ago. You have to. Be sensitive about this, actually.

You know, obviously, you and the director is like, you can make something that isn't something, right, becomes something. So for instance, if you cut to an artist, do you remember the year. Beyoncé won Best dance and the camera cut to Diplo? And he leaned over to somebody and he's now said what he said. He said, like, I worked on that or I wrote on that or something like that. because he did it. I think he worked on the album, but he went like, I worked on that. And then people at home were like, oh, he said, that's, that's screwed up, or she shouldn't have won.

She didn't deserve it. That's it. Yeah. And all of a sudden Diplo is not having a in a huge beat. No, I know with an army of Beyoncé fans. I do worry about that. And I always wonder about that on your side. It's like, well. You know what it is. It's about the timing of it. Because what happens is. So I will have a bank of Jamie. She's in the director seat to my right, and I have a bank of all of the cameras is like 20 of them. Yeah. And so I'll specifically ask for the four that are in the audience. Yeah. In my, in my best eyeline. So I'll be looking there and so.

Well Hamish is calling, you know, cuts camera. to go around the back of Bill and say, get the fuck you know, we'll be. I will always be looking at where the stories are, because I don't know the stories more than Hamish will. He'll know, like the shots. He tells an unbelievable story. But I'll know that, like you know, Billie is Charlie, Zoey's closest friend. and it could be that. So I'm aware of that because it's. I've put the show together. Yeah. But like, there is. an example actually in this specific one, like, I cut to somebody. and they were smiling and they were really clapping really, really a lot. And I said, I said to I always call out Tues.

Nice. That's what I'll go, I'll go. Yeah. Lovely on three or whatever, which is my way of going really politely. I'd like you to cut out for 2 or 3. And Jamie knows that rather than going cut to three. Yeah, I just go two is lovely and he'll be like two. and they'll catch it, but sometimes he'll have, you know, he'll be doing other things because he's got other plans. or he wants to go wide or whatever, or I'll be sort of shouting, see the room, see the room. So we go in. Yeah, but if he. cuts a little bit light then somebody's laughing. Right. Well, I enjoy somebody's laughing.

And if he hears it a bit late and then they've just finished laughing. and then they're gone. And then you got there. Then, you know, it's all brutal. And it happened this year. where somebody was really applauding somebody for winning. I genuinely can't remember which one is. I'd have to watch it back. And they were applauding like that and I went, got the camera too. And he didn't for a second. But then he went like four seconds later. And by that stage they were like this, really, man love. And I was, oh, wow. They were so annoyed that they want to. Yeah, yeah, they were, they was. Yeah. So it's all actually it's not even it's about the cutaway.

It's about the split second is. because somebody during a laugh the peak of somebody laugh. Their face is very different to the come down. No not completely. Yeah. So you got to catch it. But then sometimes sometimes like when we caught a tail it did like a dance. I can't remember when it was, but something happened and she did like. she sort of did this dance. And it was only for that second that she did it with the camera on. It was incredible. And I was like, oh my God, that's amazing. Same with the meme that's going to go forever of Beyonce. They're being shocked.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah. What happens is. and there's one thing I'm going to change next year, I've decided what I'm going to change next year if I'm allowed to. I'm saying it. I want to swap the artist name and the album. because what happens is people go, Cowboy Carter, Beyonce. Yeah, yeah. And actually the the technical director who doesn't necessarily know. The name of everybody, every album. Short and sweet Sabrina Carpenter and then you might. Yeah. So I think they should. we should just change it where they go separate.

and then you immediately just know and you're not waiting. because if you miss like we luckily we didn't miss it on Beyonce. If we had missed the like shake. Oh yeah. You didn't have the circle. Yeah. Then the whole thing wouldn't have been like she was so surprised. It would have just been like it was emotional. So like your the timing of the when you thought defines those awards. It's also I know it's I don't want to overstate it. because it's just the Grammys but it is still the Grammys. It's also a lot of power to wield. You can make beefs that don't exist. That's right. You can make artists right, quote unquote hate each other.

Yeah, like according to the public. Yeah. Oh, you saw how she responded when he won the award. You can literally. It also reminds me to to be cautious of how I even see the world funny. Like I go, don't forget that the world that you're seeing is filtered. Somebody showing you something. and how they show it to you defines how you think it actually happened. or didn't happen, and not in a conspiratorial way. Just remember the way you're seeing something. has been chosen by somebody else. And so in that room, funny enough, I've seen people's faces shift. like from moment to moment. Yeah, but with a camera is.

Well, you know, what's funny? I made one change. One big change when I took over this show five years ago. Yeah. And it was a change for the worse of the show. No question. I scrapped the quadrant where you see everybody's face. when they win or lose, because that was always on the show. It was always on the show. Every year for the 62 years of the. Year, you're talking about the part of the show where they go. And they go. The nominations are, yeah. And then they go. And then as they're opening the envelope. Everyone's faces are. 5 or 8 faces.

All nominees are up there and it's my favorite bit of award shows. I am you love it. I'm rewinding it. I'm rewinding it to see their expressions. And we wanted to see how good they're acting. I love it, everybody loves it. And for the for the for the lesser of the audience experience, I took that away. I've made the show worse by do. But why? But why do you do it then? Because I think the Grammys, when we took it over, had some work to do in the artist community. I felt like the Grammys had,

over the years, burnt a few bridges with quite a lot of artists. I felt like I spoke to some well-known artists who are friends, and they said. that they felt like they were always on display, like they were in a zoo. Oh, they were in those lines. They were in, you know, you were a rose in a theater, and all the cameras are there, and you're just sitting there squashed and you're you're stuck. You can't get out because you're on a wire. Yeah. Why is that? No one's on the aisles. There's only a few people on the aisles. So they were trapped and they were on camera. And they all said that although they loved winning a Grammy, the.

I think they felt like the evening was a lot of pressure for them, and it was a difficult thing for them to enjoy because they all felt on display. And there was also lots of other problems with the Recording Academy. Grammys that aren't for me to discuss now. It's none of my business anyway, but I would. I essentially went round and spoke. to a lot of artists, and I really wanted to make artists. One of the biggest things I wanted to do five years ago. was make artists want to come back to the Grammys again. and enjoy it and love it and have a great night. And one of the things I get most happy about on that. this night, on Sunday, that room, as you just said, is stacked.

Yeah. And it's not just nominees like people are showing up. They want to come. They want to be there. They want to present, they want to be part of it. They've got boxes that and it's become and that's I think that's for three reasons. One, it's because we go out of our way to be as loving. and as kind as we can to everybody, and we do it in a nice way. Number two is people love the tables because it's a vibe. Yeah, they got food, they've got drinks, they've got things. It's not a misfit, it's a club. I want to interject on that.

because I get to experience that in a way that you guys never do. You all in the control room you want is backstage somewhere. Yeah. That vibe by the tables. I cannot begin to explain to you how much of a vibe that thing is. People love it. People. People move from table to table during air breaks. People come over y'all. So-and-so hugs, drinks. They have whatever snacks on the table that is. Yeah, honestly, probably the best. So there wasn't. So before I took over, there wasn't drinks, there wasn't food,

there wasn't tables. It was all just rows. You can't get up to spit. You know, you've been at the Emmys or whatever. You can't get up and talk and go around. You can't get in. People are shuffling. They're up, they're down. It's not. And then I also felt, as much as I love the camera in someone's. face when they lose, and as much as I think that's good TV, I felt for the long term. gain of the Grammys, I guess, and the warmth that people feel. I want everyone to feel protected. Yeah, and I know that losing on camera for them is going to be difficult. And you know what? They don't need to have a camera in their face for it.

They do have a camera in their face because we're covering everybody's face. They win. But but I actually go out and there's no. Memes of. Them. I really yeah. And I really try if I do see somebody. who does really look a bit upset that they've lost, I don't cut to it. Oh, wow. I don't cut to it because like, I know that's good for gossip and I know it's good for the internet, but it's not good for them and it's not good for the person who's watching. It makes me worry about that. And I and I really want it to be a nice, loving room. And I want people to love coming. And that's our bread and butter now. It's about them coming back every year and enjoying it.

Yeah, because that's why they announced today, CBS that it was the most. in the history of television, the most social impressions. of any TV show of all time. Was this last Sunday. Wow. Of all time. And like, that's because everyone's in the room. and I want everyone to feel protected by that. So if I did see if I did think Billie Eilish was crying. because she'd lost an album, we wouldn't have cut to her, right? But because she was crying. like Gaga was with the emotion of the moment or firefighters or whatever. it was, I was like, that's a beautiful shot.

So yeah, that's that's. just something that we changed that I miss because as a viewer, I miss it. But as the person who has to oversee the show, yeah, it's helped me a great deal. And I, you know, in that I just be like, don't worry about it. You're going to be fine. I'm not you're not going to be embarrassed. I like that. And it's you know. Yeah. Congratulations my friend. It was a it. Was congratulations to you. You danced that high one. No, no. For real it's it's not an easy task. You spend pretty much a year on. Like, you only get a few days to enjoy the Grammys, and then you go into the Grammys immediately again. Well, yeah, maybe.

I mean, I chuckle. Yeah, but you spend a lot of time on it. So I, I'm always happy for you and the entire crew and team. Like the, the last thing I hear before I walk out on stage is oftentimes. what the stagehands are saying. And even that is part of like, literally like part of a football team. or something, you know, like the lead stagehand comes out. and then he made this beautiful speech. He didn't even know that. I was, like, listening to it, but I felt motivated. because, like, all right, everybody, you know what? We here, you know what we doing? We got one night, people, let's make this work. Let's put our best foot out there.

And, Come on, guys, let's get through it. Let's get to the other side. You ready? Let's do it. Yeah. And then I cheered and I clapped and they turned like, oh, the host was here. We did. But I was like, no, thank you. I was like, I needed that. I also needed that. So it is, I would say, everyone, this is a corny thing to say. and it's boring for a podcast, but I want to say it because it's hundred. percent true. This podcast is. Boring. No, I love that. I found it like therapy. I found it on therapy. It's been lovely. But like it's it's, like, I'll be the one who sits here and talks. about the show and represents it, but like, we have put together this A-Team.

like you're talking about those stagehands. Just think about how quickly they need to. It's insane down. It's so impressive. Set and bring. It's real. Big weekend pyramid. You know Raj Kapoor, Jesse Collins, Patrick Benson, Tabitha. Jeanette, all of them. David. Well, they just do this phenomenal job that makes, I think, the hardest show in television possible. Yeah. And the fact that people have been nice about it, it like I'm more relieved. and I am happy. I'm never like, I'm never that self-congratulatory either. You right. I'm. No, I'm just more relieved that, like, you know, the 12 nice emails came in. I said.

I like that the 12 nice emails. Ben Winston, thank you so much, my friend. Oh, lovely chatting to you. What now with Trevor Noah is produced. by Spotify Studios in partnership with Day Zero Productions. The show is executive produced by Trevor Noah, Thomas Yamin and Jody AV. Again, I was senior producer is Jess Hackel. Claire Slaughter is our producer. Music mixing and mastering by Hannah Brown.

Thank you so much for listening. Join me next Thursday for another episode of What Now? Love.