Bad Bunny turned music’s biggest stage into a political lightning rod, using his Grammy win to call out ICE and spark a roar from the room. The Puerto Rican star did not just thank his team and walk off; he led with “ICE out,” defended Latino and immigrant communities, and walked away to a standing ovation that felt less like polite applause and more like a rally. In a year when the Grammys were already charged, his moment instantly became the night’s defining image.
His speech landed at the exact intersection of culture, immigration, and power, and it hit differently because it came as he made history with a Spanish language album. By the time the crowd at Crypto.com Arena finally sat back down, it was clear Bad Bunny had shifted the tone of the show and, potentially, the expectations for what pop stars do with a live mic.
The moment Bad Bunny said “ICE out”
When Bad Bunny stepped up to accept his Grammy Awards win, he did not ease into the politics. Before he even got to the usual thank-yous, he told the crowd that before he thanked anyone he wanted to say “ICE out,” a line that directly targeted Immigration and Customs Enforcement and immediately changed the energy in the room, as detailed in reports on his Grammy speech. He was accepting a major prize in Los Angeles, speaking in Spanish and English, and instead of softening his message for prime time, he sharpened it, tying his win to the lives of immigrants who rarely see themselves centered on that stage.
Coverage of the night notes that he framed the line as a moral stance, not a slogan, insisting that Latinos and immigrants are humans and Americans, language that echoed across the arena and online as clips of the speech spread. In another account of the same moment, he is quoted saying “Before I say thanks to the Academy, I want to say ICE out,” a formulation that underlined how he deliberately put the political statement ahead of industry gratitude, as described in a focused breakdown of his acceptance remarks.
A historic win for a Spanish language album
The speech hit even harder because of what he had just pulled off. Bad Bunny became the first artist to win the top Grammy Awards prize for a Spanish language album, a milestone that turned his victory into a broader statement about who gets to dominate American pop culture, according to detailed coverage of his historic win. Hearing a Spanish album crowned in that room, then immediately linked to immigrant dignity, made the politics feel inseparable from the art.
Reports from the arena describe how Bad Bunny, full name Benito Ocasio, looked stunned when Harry Styles read his name for album of the year, then quickly pivoted from shock to purpose as he launched into his message about ICE and identity, as recounted in a profile of Benito Ocasio. Another account of the night notes that at the 2026 Grammys, he accepted the album of the year Grammy for his work while speaking from the Crypto.com Arena stage in Spanish, underscoring how he refused to translate himself for comfort, as highlighted in a transcript of his Grammy for album.
“We’re not savages”: the standing ovation
The line that really detonated in the room came right after his “ICE out” opener. Bad Bunny told the crowd “We’re not savages” and expanded on that idea by insisting that immigrants and Latinos are not animals but humans and Americans, language that drew a wave of applause and eventually a full standing ovation, as described in a recap of how he got a standing. The phrasing was blunt and emotional, a direct rejection of rhetoric that paints migrants as threats.
Another report from Los Angeles describes how the crowd at the Grammys rose to its feet after he opened with “ICE Out” and that his “We’re not savages” line framed the speech as a plea for a different way of responding to conflict, capturing the mood inside the arena as he spoke, according to a dispatch on how he was received at the Grammys in Los. That ovation was not just for a catchy hook; it was for a demand that the country see migrants as neighbors instead of enemies.
A political Grammys, from pins to speeches
Bad Bunny was the loudest voice, but he was not the only one. The ceremony turned into a kind of rolling protest, with artists arriving in “ICE OUT” pins and anti ICE buttons and then carrying that message into their speeches, a pattern captured in a broader look at how stars brought ICE OUT pins to the show. On the red carpet, Justin and Hailey Bieber were spotted wearing anti ICE buttons, part of a wave of visible statements that set the tone before the first trophy was handed out, as noted in coverage of how the Biebers hit the.
On stage, Bad Bunny was joined by Billie Eilish, Shaboozey, and Olivia Dean, who all used their own Grammy speeches to call out ICE and talk about immigrant roots, turning Grammys Sunday into a kind of coordinated message from the music community, as laid out in a rundown of how Billie Eilish, Shaboozey, joined in. Another account of the night notes that the Puerto Rican rapper, who made history with his Spanish language win, was part of a broader wave of Grammy stars who slammed ICE and celebrated immigrant heritage, as described in a piece on how Grammy stars slammed.
From Grammy stage to broader activism
Bad Bunny’s “ICE out” moment did not come out of nowhere. He has been extremely outspoken about Trump and ICE for years, even mocking Trump in his “NEVAYoL” music video with a Trump like character who ends up deported, a storyline that flips the script on who gets removed from the country, as noted in a look at how he has challenged Trump and ICE. That same report notes that his activism is tied to his own status as a Puerto Rican whose birthplace makes him an American citizen, a detail he leaned on in his Grammy speech when he reminded viewers that Latinos from the island are Americans too.
He has also used other high profile moments to push for change, and the Grammys were no exception. One recap notes that he used his GRAMMY win to advocate for change and was rewarded with a standing ovation, framing the night as part of a longer pattern of turning awards into platforms, as described in a piece on how he used his Grammy win to. Another detailed account of the speech notes that he took the stage at the Grammy Awards and said what he needed to say, opening with “ICE out” before he even thanked the Academy, a choice that underlined how activism now sits at the center of his public persona, as captured in a breakdown of how Bad Bunny took.
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