Howard Stern mocks Trevor Noah for becoming ‘cheerleader’ at Grammys

Stern commented: ‘He did the opposite of a roast. He didn’t say one negative thing about anybody.’

Howard Stern has mocked Trevor Noah for being overly positive while performing his hosting duties at last weekend’s Grammy Awards.

Speaking on his SiriusXM show on Monday, Stern said: “He did the opposite of a roast. He was like a cheerleader. He didn’t say one negative thing about anybody.”

After playing clips of Noah’s opening monologue, which included gushing praise of artists 21 Savage and Doja Cat, as well as Mark Ronson and his mother-in-law, Meryl Streep, Stern produced a sarcastic impersonation of the South African comedian and former Daily Show host.

“21 Savage is so great. You know how great 21 Savage is? He always pays his taxes on time!” said Stern. “He’s got a great physique! He’s got a great ass! He’s 21 Savage, he’s fantastic! No one is safe, no one is off limits from my admiration, and you will hear it tonight!“

Reflecting on Noah’s performance, Stern added that he sympathised with the comedian for having to keep so many different people happy. “I think he’s in a hard position, Trevor Noah. I felt so bad for the guy,” Stern said, “I think he did what he had to do. He had to sit there and tell everyone how great they are. You have to.”

The radio host then referred to comedian Jo Koy’s widely-panned performance as host of this year’s Golden Globes. “He went up there, he tried to make a few jokes and they almost f***ing killed the guy,” Stern said.

Howard Stern (left) and Trevor Noah (Getty)

Noah’s turn as Grammys host did please some people, however, with Taylor Swift commending the comedian for doing a “beautiful job”.

During the ceremony, Swift reacted with amusement to Noah’s joke about football fans criticising the attention the pop star has been getting since she started dating Kansas City Chiefs tight-end, Travis Kelce.

“I think it is so unfair how NFL fans have been complaining about the cameras panning to Taylor Swift, like she’s controlling the cameras at the game. Just let her live,” Noah said.

“In fact, tonight, on Taylor’s behalf, you know what I’m going to do? I’m gonna give her a break. Every time they mention Taylor Swift, I’m gonna get revenge. Every time someone says Taylor Swift, I’m gonna cut the cameras to someone who played football, that’s what I’ll do. Cut!”

As Noah yelled “cut”, the cameras switched to Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews who played as a defensive end and linebacker in the NFL for years before retiring and pursuing a career as an actor.

This year’s Grammy telecast drew its largest audience in four years, with an average of 16.9 million viewers tuning in to see performances by Miley Cyrus, Joni Mitchell and Billie Eilish.