Jesse Watters claims celebrities are being paid to publicly slam Donald Trump.
That’s what the Fox News host told viewers on Monday night, as he complained about the Grammys, where several celebrities spoke out against ICE from the red carpet or while accepting their awards. Many celebrities wore “ICE Out” pins. “Some of the managers just stuck the pin on their clients and pushed them onto the carpet,” Watters said as clips from the Sunday evening broadcast rolled.
“Bobby Kennedy has already designated the Grammys as a superspreader event for TDS,” Watters went on, referencing the fictional ailment, Trump Derangement Syndrome. “Even the MC had a nasty case,” he added, playing one of Grammy’s host Trevor Noah’s digs at Trump.
Trump has since called Noah a “lightweight” who did a “terrible job” hosting the show, and threatened to sue the comedian for saying that he visited Jeffrey Epstein’s island.
“If you’re watching the Grammys and are thinking, ‘Oh, man, these mass deportations, they are divisive. Trump better back off.’ No, this is the playbook,” Watters told his viewers.
Despite Watters’ claims, the celebrities with the strongest anti-ICE statements at the awards show have been vocal about Trump’s deportation policies long before his ICE deployment in Minneapolis, which has resulted in the shooting deaths of two American citizens so far.
Last September—before he was announced as Super Bowl halftime headliner—Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny chose not bring his latest tour in the U.S. to avoid making his fans a target of ICE. “Before I say thanks to God, I’m gonna say ICE OUT,” he said, as he collected his Album of the Year Award Sunday.
Similarly, Billie Eilish has been protesting Trump since before the 2024 election, and has since called out her fellow celebrities who—despite Watters’ claims Monday night—have not spoken out about his latest moves, including ICE’s activity in Minnesota. “No one is illegal on stolen land,” she said as she collected her Song of the Year award.
“They cause drama in the streets, make life a little uncomfortable for Washington Republicans, and then smack you in the face with propaganda at award shows, and make you think you’re mean and on the wrong side. It’s a PSYOP,” Watter went on, parroting Trump’s claims that paid protestors in Minneapolis are to blame for the national unrest over ICE, with no evidence.
However, PBS found that the movements are the result of a surge in voluntary protestors. “I truly think it’s a made-up sentiment to try to minimize the groundswell of the movement here on the ground,” Minneapolis business owner Jillian Hiscock told PBS last month.
Still, Watters insisted that the artists’ statements are coordinated propaganda. Progressives did “the same thing” with George Floyd, he claimed. “They prey on white guilt, so you defund the police. Cashless bail, DEI, you give them everything they want, right? And what happens? Crime hits a 30-year high. Then you’re all cooped up at home, listening to their lyrics and watching their movies. Don’t make the same mistake twice.”
After all, the Fox host claimed, “The anti-ICE messages at the Grammys are all about money.”
He then played a few clips of attendees who were unable to articulate why they’d worn the “ICE Out” pins to prove his point.
Watters ultimately blamed “young women” for the messaging from some artists at the awards show.
“The audience for the Grammys is mostly young women. And the people who download the music—mostly young women. And like we’ve showed you on the streets, it’s mostly young women who aren’t so nice to ICE,” he claimed.
“The Grammys are acting like they have the moral high ground. Have you seen the Diddy documentary? These people are sick. We know what they’ve been up to,” Watters insisted.
