Comedian Cedric the Entertainer has criticised United States President Donald Trump for threatening legal action against Trevor Noah following a joke at the Grammy Awards, accusing the president of refusing to accept the same treatment he regularly dishes out to others.
Speaking to reporters from TMZ at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday, Cedric said Trump has no problem calling people ugly or lobbing abuse left and right, but responds very differently when similar criticism is directed at him. He argued that Trump’s response to Noah’s joke followed a pattern visible in his ongoing feud with late-night host Jimmy Kimmel.
The controversy stems from a reference Noah made to Jeffrey Epstein’s island while presenting the Song of the Year award at Sunday’s Grammy Awards ceremony. After Billie Eilish won the award, Noah quipped that it was a Grammy every artist wants almost as much as Trump wants Greenland, adding that because Epstein’s island is gone, he needs a new one to hang out with Bill Clinton.
Trump responded hours after the broadcast on Truth Social, threatening to sue Noah for what he described as a false and defamatory statement. The president wrote that Noah incorrectly claimed Trump and former President Bill Clinton spent time on Epstein Island, adding that he had never been to the island or anywhere close.
Cedric stated that Trump’s practice of threatening lawsuits against critics amounts to intimidation through wealth and power. He described the behaviour as flat-out bullying, arguing it was not the tough stance Trump presents it as. When someone throws that same energy back, Trump starts flexing his power and influence against them, Cedric said.
The comedian argued there was a significant power imbalance between Trump and his critics. If Trump were on a level playing field, sure, clap back all you want, Cedric told reporters. However, he added that as it stands, Trump is just being a total hypocrite.
Trump and former President Clinton are both mentioned in Epstein files released by the Justice Department and in flight logs. Both have denied wrongdoing. Trump’s relationship with convicted sex trafficker Epstein dates back decades. In a 2002 interview with New York Magazine, Trump described Epstein as a lot of fun to be with, adding that Epstein liked beautiful women as much as he did, and many of them were on the younger side.
In 2019, NBC News released footage believed to be from 1992 showing Trump greeting Epstein at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida. After Epstein’s 2019 arrest on federal sex trafficking charges, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he had a falling out with Epstein and had not spoken to him in 15 years.
Noah, who was hosting the Grammy Awards for his sixth and final year, acknowledged the crowd’s mixed reaction to his joke by saying it was his last year hosting. The South African comedian and former Daily Show host had announced earlier that the 2026 ceremony would be his final appearance as Grammys host.
Trump called the 68th annual Grammy Awards the worst and virtually unwatchable in his Truth Social post, comparing Noah unfavorably to Kimmel and describing him as a total loser. The president wrote that he would be sending his lawyers to sue this poor, pathetic, talentless, dope of an MC, and suing him for plenty.
The Grammy Awards, which aired on CBS for the final time Sunday night, saw Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny dominate the ceremony. Several artists, including Eilish and Bad Bunny, addressed immigration enforcement during their acceptance speeches following recent high-profile incidents involving federal agents.
Trump has previously threatened legal action against media figures and late-night hosts who criticized him. In his post, he referenced past lawsuits, telling Noah to ask George Stephanopoulos and others how that all worked out, and also directed the comment at CBS.
