Grammys 2022: Trevor Noah, Questlove Joke About Will Smith Oscars Slap

Trevor Noah and Questlove joked about the Oscars slap during the 2022 Grammys. (Credit: Shutterstock)

Trevor Noah and Questlove brought up the infamous Oscars slap during Sunday’s Grammys at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

“Don’t even think of this as an award show. It’s a concert where we are giving out awards, we will be listening to music, dancing, singing, keeping people’s names out of our mouths and we are going to give people awards all throughout the night,” Grammys host Noah quipped during his opening monologue.

Later, while presenting the award for song of the year, Academy Award winner Questlove joked, “I am going to present this award and I trust that you people will stay 500 feet away from me. As they say it is far better to give than to receive. Well, I’m not so sure about that because last Sunday it felt pretty good to receive.”

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Questlove took home the best documentary statuette last Sunday at the Academy Awards for Summer of Soul, which Chris Rock was presenting when he was slapped onstage by best actor winner Will Smith.

Smith has since resigned from the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, calling his actions “shocking, painful, and inexcusable.” During the Academy board’s next meeting on April 18, it will decide what action, if any, to take against Smith.

Silk Sonic Performs at 2022 Grammys on Sunday, April 3, 2022. (Credit: Shutterstock)
Silk Sonic Performs at Grammys (Credit: Shutterstock)

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Elsewhere at the Grammys, the song of the year award went to Silk Sonic for their single “Leave the Door Open.” The duo won four awards in total including record of the year, and song of the year. Silk Sonic members Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak opened the Grammys with a performance of “777.”

Other notable moments of the ceremony included a performance by Nas for the first time on the Grammys stage with a medley of his hits including “I Can,” “Made You Look,” “One Mic,” and “Rare.”

Lil Nas X belted out a medley of his hits including  “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby,” and was joined by rapper Jack Harlow.

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Always one to shock audiences, the “Old Town Road” performer grabbed his crotch multiple times during the performance.

Another big Grammys performance this year was H.E.R. and Lenny Kravitz collaborating on “Are You Gonna Go My Way” with Blink-182’s Travis Barker on the drums.

In one of the most poignant moments of the night, John Legend performed a tribute to the people of Ukraine and was joined by several artists from the war-torn country, including Mika Newton, Lyuba Yakimchuk and Siuzanna Igidan.

Before the performance of “Free,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a video appearance at the awards and connected the plight of his citizens with the need for music.

“Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos,” he said. “They sing to the wounded.”