Rapper Killer Mike shared a comedic reaction to accusations that Taylor Swift snubbed Celine Dion onstage at the Grammy Awards earlier this month.
Legendary singer Dion stepped back from the spotlight after announcing in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome (SPS). She subsequently made a surprise appearance at the Grammys on February 4.
Accompanied by her son René-Charles Angélil, Dion stepped out onstage to present the Album of the Year trophy. "It gives me great joy to present a Grammy Award that two legends, Diana Ross and Sting, presented to me 27 years ago," Dion told the audience.
Dion then announced Swift as the winner for her album, Midnights. Swift made history in that moment by becoming the first person to win Album of the Year four times.
However, Swift attracted a wave of criticism from viewers, some of whom claimed the singer snubbed Dion by not acknowledging her properly when accepting the award from her. Countering the claims, Dion and Swift posed for photos together backstage.
Hip hop star Killer Mike, whose real name is Michael Santiago Render, weighed in on the social media storm during an appearance on Comedy Central's The Daily Show on Tuesday.
Host Jordan Klepper congratulated the Atlanta native on the three Grammy Awards he had won on the night, before asking: "The big question everybody had after the Grammys: Did Taylor snub Celine?"
"Shouts out to Taylor, man," Killer Mike enthusiastically responded, before marveling at the achievements of the singer and her three-time Super Bowl-winning boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
"G******, she won at the Grammys. Her boyfriend won the Chiefs," he said. "If she's into poly, me and my wife need a third. We're trying to win again!"
When Klepper asked Killer Mike if he felt he could embrace polygamy, the star said: "I feel I could pull it off. Only problem is my wife's good with a gun. She doesn't agree!"
Killer Mike had a decidedly dramatic Grammy night of his own. The 48-year-old won Best Rap Album for his sixth studio album, Michael, as well as Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance awards for his song "Scientists and Engineers," which features Andre 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane.
After his trophy sweep, he was arrested by police over an alleged physical altercation backstage at the star-studded ceremony.
According to a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department, Killer Mike was released in the early hours of Monday morning.
"On Sunday, February 4, just after 4pm, a male adult was detained and handcuffed for a physical altercation that occurred at the 700 block of Chick Hearn Court. The suspect was placed under arrest and was transported to LAPD Central Division," a statement said.
"The suspect has been identified as 48-year-old Michael Render and booked for Misdemeanor Battery 243(A) PC, and is in the process of being released."
During an appearance on ABC's The View on Monday, the rapper and activist told viewers that all of his heroes "have been in handcuffs."
While declining to go into details of the arrest, he said: "I think that backstage was overcrowded, the winners were exuberant, and I think security got a little overzealous. It's water under the bridge for me, but I like to say all my heroes have been in handcuffs."
"Malcom [X], Martin [Luther King Jr.], [Nelson] Mandela, Medgar [Evers]," he went on. "I walked out with the same dignity and respect that I walked in with. And I would implore people to just take that from it. Don't dwell on the bad stuff."
This month marked the first time that Killer Mike had won a Grammy in over 20 years. The rapper had been celebrating his wins on stage during the pre-telecast ceremony before his arrest.
"This is for all the people who think you're too old to rap...we keep hip hop alive. Never ever stop doing what you do," he said. "The only thing that limits your age is not being truthful about your age or what you're doing.
"At 20 years old, I thought it was cool to be a drug dealer," he added. "At 40, I started to live with the regrets and the things I've done. At 45, I started to rap about it. At 48, I stand here as a man full of empathy and sympathy for the things I've done."
Killer Mike is known for speaking out on the topics of social justice issues, including race relations and the treatment of Black people in the United States.
He was the host of Netflix's documentary series Trigger Warning with Killer Mike in 2019, which looked at issues impacting the Black community.
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Ryan Smith is a Newsweek Senior Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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