Grammys: Trevor Noah Jokes Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” Inspired Him to Quit ‘The Daily Show’

The comedian kicked off the show by shouting out performers and nominees, including Lizzo, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift and Adele. Trevor Noah returned to host the Grammys for the third time on Sunday night.
In his opening monologue, the former Daily Show host joked that Beyonce inspired him to leave his seven-year stint as the late night talk show host.
"Beyonce is nominated for her album Renaissance, which by the way, was better than anything from the actual renaissance in my opinion," Noah joked. "The Renaissance was just pictures of grapes and stuff. Beyonce took it to another level. I was so inspired by the lyrics of 'Break My Soul' that I actually quit my job. That's how powerful that was. I just wish Beyonce had also written a song about the importance of having savings before you quit your job, but maybe the next one."

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Noah went on to point out more of the celebrities who made their way to Los Angeles for the 2023 Grammys, landing on Harry Styles, who came into the night with six nominations -- three in the Grammys' top categories.
"What can you say about this man that hasn't been said?" the comedian said. "Incredible album. Mind-blowing tour. A 15-night run at MSG and the Forum. Women throw their panties at this man, then he puts them on, and he looks better in them than they do. Easily the world's sexiest man. Are you kidding? There's no competition. Sex symbol of the globe, especially now that they've killed off the green M&M. No competition."
Up next, Noah praised Kendrick Lamar for his multi-nominated album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, calling the release a "therapy session that earned him multiple Grammy nominations."
"All my therapy ever got me was helping me overcome my childhood trauma -- useless," he continued.
Noah then shouted out Lizzo for her continued message of body positivity, ongoing success and "killing the haters on Instagram and Twitter."
And the three-time Grammys host couldn't go through with his opening monologue without praising Taylor Swift's latest album Midnights.
"Taylor Swift sold more albums than any other human on the planet last year," he said. "The only music we listened to more than Taylor's music was the hold music for Southwest Airlines. That was it. They got the real streaming numbers. And by the way, I love your song 'Anti-Hero.' Yes, thank you so much. My auntie is also a hero. Her name is Beatrice. We appreciate that. Thank you for celebrating all the aunties out there."
Throughout the night, the comedian cracked jokes, introduced Adele and Dwayne Johnson to each other after finding out they're both big fans of one another and gave Beyonce one of her Grammys at her table in the audience.
Before he introduced the emotional In Memoriam segment, Noah took a moment to acknowledge the importance of music and how it can unite people despite their differences.
"It's Black kids and white kids rejecting segregation in the 1950s, and instead, blending R&B, country and even gospel into rock and roll," the host said. "In the 1980s, a young black rapper from Queens and a Jewish white kid in his NYU dorm came together to make some of the greatest hip-hop of all time. They made a powerful new sound together because they were different."
He continued, "Music isn't just the harmony of sound. It's the harmony of human beings of different races, genders, religions, identities, sexual orientations ... rejecting division to find moments of joy and unity and harmony, and that's what music is all about."
Later, he took a playful jab at Prince Harry. When he introduced James Corden -- who announced Beyonce's record-breaking win for best dance album -- he said that Corden was proof that someone can move to Los Angeles from London, without talking about their frostbitten penis, which the Duke of Sussex mentioned in his memoir Spare.
The host sat down with The Hollywood Reporter to discuss returning to emcee the Grammys ahead of Sunday night and why he keeps coming back.
"Well, I have a lot of free time these days, so that's part of it," he joked. On a more serious note, he explained, "Moments that you have backstage with the performers -- you're just walking around and you're seeing Billie Eilish, and she's having a moment with another artist -- you don't get to see that anywhere else, and you don't get to experience that level of joy."
Noah continued, "For me to be part of that is truly, I guess now, it's a three times a lifetime opportunity. I never take it for granted because all of these people are the soundtracks to our lives."
The comedian may have opened up the live telecast on Sunday, but the 2023 Grammys began earlier in the day with the non-televised Premiere Ceremony, where Beyonce, Harry Styles, Lizzo, the Encanto soundtrack and Viola Davis, who achieved EGOT status, took home awards.
The 2023 Grammys are taking place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The awards show is airing live from 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT on CBS and is available on Paramount+.