Celebrities including Joni Mitchell and Kehlani protest Ice at Grammy Awards

Joni Mitchell, Kehlani and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon were among artists wearing “Ice out” and “Be Good” pins at the Grammy Awards 2026 as a statement against US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) policies.

Kehlani, 30, cursed Ice in her acceptance speech as she won her first Grammy for best R&B performance for Folded.

“I’ve never won anything before, this is a really crazy feeling,” said Kehlani while accepting the prize. “My first time being nominated for a Grammy was 10 years ago. It’s been a really long time and nobody who has ever come along this journey with me I take for granted.”

“I hope everybody’s inspired to join together as a community of artists and speak out against what’s going on,” Kehlani continued, concluding her speech with, “F**k Ice.”

Vernon, 44, whose group Bon Iver is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, said he wore a whistle as a tribute to the legal observers documenting the actions of federal agents in the streets.

“I think there’s a reason that music exists and it’s to heal and to bring people together,” he told The Associated Press. “But the real work are those observers on the on the ground in Minneapolis. We just want to shout them out.”

Amy Allen, Rhiannon Giddens and Margo Price were also among the artists wearing the political pins.

Activists spent the week urging celebrities and their teams to wear pins protesting the presence of Ice at events leading up to the ceremony. They handed out pins at multiple gatherings to help spread their message.

That effort appeared to pay off, with organisers noting a stronger show of support at the Grammys than at last month’s Golden Globes, where stars including Mark Ruffalo, Ariana Grande and others showed solidarity by wearing “Be Good” pins.

The demonstrations reflect growing public anger after several controversial encounters between federal agents and civilians – including the fatal shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis late last month, which has sparked nationwide protests and scrutiny of enforcement tactics.

At the Sundance Film Festival last week, numerous celebrities also took visible stands: Natalie Portman, Olivia Wilde and Zoey Deutch wore “ICE OUT” pins on the red carpet, and Deutch paired hers with a “Be Good” pin as well.

Wilde, 41, told the AP she was “horrified by this string of murders that we are somehow legitimising and normalising.”

“It’s really difficult to be here and to be celebrating something so joyous and beautiful and positive when we know what’s happening on the streets,” she said.

“Americans are out on the streets marching and demanding justice, and we’re there with them. And if we can do anything with our platforms, you know, we can speak out and demand that Ice get out.”

Portman became emotional when asked about her “Ice out” pin at the premiere of her new film, The Gallerist.