Justin Bieber makes rare return to 2026 Grammy Awards as he and wife Hailey wear anti-ICE pins

Justin Bieber made a rare red-carpet appearance on Sunday for his grand return to the Grammy Awards.

The singer–songwriter was joined at the 2026 ceremony by his wife Hailey Bieber, who matched him in a stunning all-black ensemble. 

The model-turned-cosmetics mogul joined her husband in making a political statement on the red carpet, joining numerous other stars speaking out against the second Trump administration and US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The stars, who affectionately held hands on the red carpet, both wore ‘ICE OUT’ pins, which was also featured on outfits worn by Joni Mitchell, Kehlani, Jason Isbell, Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon and other performers.

Bieber, 31, has been confirmed as a performer for Sunday’s ceremony at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, marking his first appearance at music’s biggest night in four years.

The pop superstar last performed at the ceremony in 2022, when he delivered a crowd-pleasing rendition of Peaches, alongside Giveon and Daniel Caesar. 

Hailey was predictably stunning in a sleek black off-the-shoulder Alaïa gown that highlighted her svelte frame.

The dress was enlivened thanks to sheer panels over her hips that showcased a bit of her pert derriere, and it had a floor-length skirt that fanned out slightly and trailed behind her.

Justin skipped his usual streetwear in favor of an oversize black Balenciaga suit.

The Baby singer was swimming in the double-breasted jacket, which he wore unbuttoned, and the baggy trousers, which he paired with sleek black loafers and a simple black shirt.

He contrasted the monochrome outfit with a brilliant white ‘ICE OUT’ pin on his lapel, and he added some flash with a diamond necklace.

Hailey wore her own anti-ICE pin at the top of her dress.

She kept her jewelry to a minimum, though she went all out with her two pieces: her enormous engagement ring and a silver necklace with an enormous gleaming diamond in the center. 

Despite making an unmissable statement against ICE, neither Justin nor Hailey appears to have spoken about the controversial agency or the killings of Keith Porter in LA and Renée Good and the VA ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis at the hands of its agents. 

Inside the Crypto.com Arena, Justin and Hailey caught up with Bad Bunny. The Puerto Rican performer has been a vocal critic of ICE and the Trump administration.

Bad Bunny is set to be this month’s Super Bowl halftime show performer, and ICE has declared that its agents will be patrolling the high-profile game. 

At this year’s ceremony, Bieber is nominated for four awards, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, for Swag; Best Pop Solo Performance, for Daisies; and Best R&B Performance, for Yukon. 

The Canadian star has earned 23 Grammy nominations throughout his career, and he has taken home two wins. 

Notably, Bieber’s ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez is also expected to be in attendance, adding an extra layer of intrigue to Grammy night.

Gomez and her husband, producer Benny Blanco, are nominated for their track, Bluest Flame, which could place her and her ex under the same roof at one of the industry’s most high-profile events.

Bieber, meanwhile, attended the ceremony with his wife, Hailey, who has been a constant presence throughout his recent career resurgence.

Bieber scored a major comeback in 2025 with the release of his album SWAG, following a years-long musical hiatus due to health issues.

The Grammys’ 68th annual ceremony, widely considered to be ‘Music’s Biggest Night,’ is being broadcast live on CBS and will also be available to stream on Paramount+ starting at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.

Former host of The Daily Show and comedian Trevor Noah returns as host for the sixth consecutive year.

Nominations were announced in November, with 22-time Grammy-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar leading the pack with nine nods.

Lady Gaga comes in close second with seven nominations, along with Taylor Swift’s longtime collaborator Jack Antonoff and renowned pop producer Cirkut.

Sabrina Carpenter, whose 2025 album Man’s Best Friend snagged six nominations, will be among the A-list musical acts to perform during the three-hour show.

Gaga, Justin Bieber and K-pop sensation Rosé will also take the stage. 

This year, the Recording Academy introduced two brand new categories: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover. 

The new country category will distinguish between ‘contemporary’ and ‘traditional’ country music – formally splitting the Best Country Album into two – following Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter sweep at the 2025 ceremony.

‘The Academy’s top priority is to represent the music people that we serve each year,’ said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. of the changes back in June.

‘That entails listening carefully to our members to make sure our rules and guidelines reflect today’s music and allow us to accurately recognize as many deserving creators as possible.’

Only recordings commercially released in the United States between August 31, 2024 through August 30, 2025 were eligible for 2026 nominations.

The final round of Grammy voting, which determined its winners, took place from December 12, 2025 to January 5, 2026.

‘The Grammy Awards are our opportunity to honor the people who make this community so vibrant and this year’s nominees remind us of the incredible talent that is driving music forward,’ said Mason Jr. in a statement.

‘From emerging talent to influential icons, these nominees reflect today’s broad and diverse musical landscape, and I am excited to celebrate them in the coming weeks ahead.’ 

The 2026 Album Of The Year category is stacked, with Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga and Sabrina Carpenter and among the big names who will go head-to-head.

Lamar’s latest album GNX is his fifth consecutive studio album to be nominated for Album Of The Year, something no other artist has ever done. If GNX wins, it will be Lamar’s first-ever win in the category.

The rapper is also up for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year for his single Luther featuring SZA – marking the third time Lamar has had simultaneous nominations in the ‘big three’ categories.

The Compton-born hitmaker will also compete for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Melodic Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album. 

Lady Gaga’s album MAYHEM is up for Album Of The Year, while her hit track Abracadabra is nominated for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year. This is a career first for Gaga as she’s never previously had nominations in all three categories simultaneously.

The NY-born, LA-based singer could also score potential wins in the categories for Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Dance Pop Recording and Traditional Pop Vocal album, the only nod for her Harlequin album. 

Rocker-turned-producer Jack Antonoff’s work with Lamar and pop princess Sabrina Carpenter sees him nominated the Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Song Of The Year categories twice. 

He produced Carpenter’s follow-up to Grammy-winning album Short N’ Sweet, titled Man’s Best Friend, including the album’s title track.

Antonoff produced GNX, featuring the nominated song Luther, with Lamar. His work with Lamar landed him his first-ever Best Rap Song nom for Tv Off featuring Lefty Gunplay.

Antonoff will face off against fellow producer Cirkut, who also earned seven nominations for producing Lady Gaga’s album MAYHEM.

He is also the musical mind behind Rosé and Bruno Mars’s hit single APT.

Because of the success of Gaga’s Abracadabra, MAYHEM’s lead single, and Rosé’s collaboration with Mars, Cirkut is up for Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year twice at the 2026 ceremony.  

In addition to Gaga’s MAYHEM and Lamar’s GNX, the album of the year category is rounded out by Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend, Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos, Bieber’s SWAG, Clipse, Pusha T & Malice’s Let God Sort Em Out, Leon Thomas’s MUTT and Tyler, the Creator’s Chromakopia. 

This is the first time three albums have been up for both Best Rap Album and Album Of The Year: GNX, Let God Sort Em Out and Chromakopia.  

Additionally, Bad Bunny’s Debí Tirar Más Fotos is only the second time an all-Spanish language album has been nominated for the top prize. 

Bad Bunny, Carpenter, Leon Thomas and Serban Ghenea all boast six nominations.

Meanwhile, producer Andrew Watt, Clipse, rapper Doechii, Sounwave, SZA, Turnstile and Tyler, the Creator have five each. 

Global girl group Katseye, Olivia Dean, The Marias, Addison Rae, Sombr, Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young will duke it out in the Best New Artist category this year.

The Record Of The Year category is made up of Bad Bunny – DtMF, Sabrina Carpenter – Manchild, Doechii – Anxiety, Billie Eilish – Wildflower, Lady Gaga – Abracadabra, Lamar and SZA’ – luther,’ Chappell Roan – The Subway and Rosé and Mars – APT.

Fans were confused to see Eilish’s Wildflower among the nominees as it was released ahead of the Grammy eligibility window on her 2024 album Hit Me Hard And Soft.

However, there is a Recording Academy rule that allows albums released during the previous ceremony’s eligibility period to be considered, ‘provided the same tracks were not entered the previous year and the album did not win a Grammy,’ with a few exceptions.

By that rule, Wildflower, which was not previously entered, is eligible for the 2026 ceremony. 

The last of the ‘big four’ categories is Song Of The Year. The honor recognizes songwriters, which sometimes includes the actual performer, behind the year’s biggest tracks. 

The nominees for Song Of The Year are nearly identical to those up for Record Of The Year.

The only difference is that Chappell Roan’s The Subway has been replaced by Golden from the KPop Demon Hunters soundtrack.

Singers, composers, producers and musicians alike will compete across 95 categories.

The 2026 roster features a number of first-time nominees, including Tate McRae, Zara Larsson and PinkPantheress.

Billionaire Taylor Swift, who is known for dominating the Grammys stage, is noticeably absent from the list of nominees despite releasing an album last year.

Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl is the highly anticipated follow-up to her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department, which won Album Of The Year at last year’s Grammys ceremony.

Swift missed making the cut for 2026 by two months as The Life of a Showgirl was released on October 3, 2025, which happens to be her soon-to-be-husband Travis Kelce’s birthday.