Trump Threatens to Sue Trevor Noah Over Epstein Island Joke at Grammys

Trevor Noah made a joke on live television, and by sunrise, the President was threatening to sue him. The comedian, hosting the Grammy Awards on a Sunday night in early February, had riffed on Trump's recent fixation with acquiring Greenland. The punchline pivoted to Jeffrey Epstein's island in the U.S. Virgin Islands—suggesting that since Epstein's compound was no longer available, Trump would need a new place to "hang out with Bill Clinton." Noah added a wink to the camera: "Oh, I told you it's my last year. What are you going to do about it?"

By Monday morning, Trump had posted his response on Truth Social. The message was characteristically blunt. He denied ever setting foot on Little St. James, the private island where Epstein had allegedly trafficked underage girls. "I have never been to Epstein Island, nor anywhere close," Trump wrote, "and until tonight's false and defamatory statement, have never been accused of being there, not even by the Fake News Media." He called Noah a "total loser" and a "talentless, dope of an M.C." and announced he would be sending lawyers to sue "for plenty$." He also referenced his recent legal victories—a $16 million settlement from CBS and Paramount in July over the editing of a Kamala Harris interview, and a $15 million settlement from ABC News in December over comments made by anchor George Stephanopoulos. "Ask Little George Slopadopolus, and others, how that all worked out," Trump wrote. "Also ask CBS! Get ready Noah, I'm going to have some fun with you!"

The timing of Noah's joke was pointed. Just four days earlier, the Justice Department had released three million additional pages of documents from its investigation into Epstein. The cache included references to Trump, Elon Musk, and Bill Gates, among others. Yet the documents themselves contained no evidence that Trump or Clinton had visited the island. In fact, Epstein himself had written in a 2015 email—later released by the House Oversight Committee—that Clinton "was NEVER EVER there, never." Trump, however, has repeatedly made accusations about Clinton's visits to the island without providing evidence to support the claim.

The Justice Department had withheld approximately 2.5 million pages from the public release, citing privacy concerns for victims, depictions of child sexual abuse, ongoing federal investigations, and attorney-client privilege. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche pushed back against suggestions that the withholding was designed to protect powerful men. "We did not protect President Trump," Blanche said. "We didn't protect or not protect anybody." The decision to keep so much material sealed drew criticism from survivors of Epstein's trafficking.

Noah, a South African native who has hosted the Grammy Awards for the past six years, had signaled earlier in the evening that this would be his final time in the role. "I believe in term limits," he said. "I want to set an example for anyone watching the show. Leave when your time is up." It was a subtle dig at Trump, who has long resisted the idea of term limits for the presidency. The Epstein joke came moments after he congratulated Billie Eilish on winning the Grammy for song of the year.

Trump's threat to sue represents his latest move in a pattern of aggressive litigation against media figures and outlets. The settlements he won in 2024 and 2025 appear to have emboldened him—he cited them explicitly as evidence that his legal strategy works. Whether Noah's joke rises to the legal standard of defamation remains an open question, but Trump has shown he is willing to pursue such cases regardless of their likelihood of success. The comedian's parting shot—"What are you going to do about it?"—may have been more prescient than he realized.