trevor noah

Feb. 2 (UPI) — President Donald Trump has threatened to sue Trevor Noah over a joke the comedian made while hosting Sunday night’s Grammy Awards.

“It looks like I’ll be sending my lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless dope of an M.C., and suing him for plenty$,” Trump said Sunday night in a statement on his Truth Social media platform.

Trump frequently pursues lawsuits against critics and media organizations over comments he says damaged his reputation, drawing criticism from opponents who accuse him of trying to silence dissent.

Noah, a South African comedian who has hosted the Grammy Awards since 2021, attracted the ire of the American president with a joke about Trump’s relationship with the convicted sex offender and disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

After awarding singer Billie Eilish the song of the year award, Noah remarked: “That is a Grammy every artist wants — almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, which makes sense, I mean, because Epstein’s island is gone he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.”

There is no verified evidence that either president visited Epstein’s Little Saint James Island, which has been linked to sex crimes committed by Epstein against minors.

“Noah said, INCORRECTLY about me, that Donald Trump and Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island. WRONG!!!” Trump said in his statement.

“I can’t speak for Bill, but I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close, and until tonight’s false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media.”

Trump and Epstein, who died in jail by apparent suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial for sex-trafficking charges, were friends dating back to the 1980s. The American president said in July that they had a falling out in the early 2000s after Epstein “stole” spa staff from his Mar-a-Lago resort including Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre, who died by suicide in April.

On Friday, the Justice Department released millions of pages from its investigation into Epstein. Included in the documents were unverified claims and allegations submitted to the FBI that mention Trump in connection with alleged sex crimes involving minors.

Trump has denied wrongdoing. Justice Department Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche told CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday that allegations included in the documents against Trump and others were “very quickly determined to not be credible.”

In Trevor Noah’s final opening monologue at the Grammys, the joke that got the loudest laugh in the room was directed at Nicki Minaj’s MAGA alliance.

After six consecutive years of hosting the Grammys, the comedian is stepping down from the emcee role. Last year, Noah’s monologue was focused on the resilience of Los Angeles and paid tribute to the victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires. This year, he poked fun at attending celebrities and commented on the country’s political climate.

When he addressed the fact that Nicki Minaj was not in attendance, the audience applauded in response. He joked that “she is still at the White House with Donald Trump discussing very important issues: ‘Actually, Nicki, I have the biggest ass, I have it. Everybody’s saying it, Nicki, I know they say it’s you, but it’s me. WAP, WAP, WAP. Look at it, baby,’” Noah said in his best Trump impression.

Last week, Minaj appeared at a U.S. Treasury event, where she stood on stage with President Trump and said, “I am probably the president’s No. 1 fan, and that’s not going to change.”

While detailing what the night ahead entails, Noah compared this year’s Grammys to the 1999 ceremony.

“The last time Lauryn Hill performed at the Grammys was in 1999,” said Noah. “Back in 1999 the president had a sex scandal, people thought computers were about to destroy the world and Diddy was arrested. Boy, how times have changed.”

Noah also poked fun at Jelly Roll, asking if he was able to unlock fellow face-tatted singer Teddy Swims’ phone. He also mentioned that the arena stuffed with A-listers felt somewhat like billionaire Jeff Bezos’ wedding, “but with way more Black people.”

In addition to it being Noah’s final hosting gig, this year’s ceremony is also the last to air on CBS, its home network since 1973. After tonight, it kicks off a 10-year run with Disney. The Grammys will air on ABC, Hulu and Disney+ beginning in 2027.