Executive producer Ben Winston and host Noah talk about Sunday's show, how they're handling the ratings slump for awards shows, and Beyoncé's potentially record-breaking moment.
 |
Ben Winston and Trevor Noah Francis Specker/CBS/Getty Images |
Trevor Noah, the host, and Ben Winston, the executive producer, talk about Sunday's show, how they're coping with the ratings slump for awards shows, and Beyoncé's potentially record-breaking moment in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
The Crypo.com Arena will host the Grammys live on television.
On Those Big Names Who Weren’t Announced to Perform or Attend (Yet)
“Well, all the nominees are invited,” Winston said. “Listen, we are not
going to talk about specific talent on the call. I’m so sorry. I’d love
to, but I think the relationships we have with talent is so delicate,
of when everybody gets announced and who’s coming and whatever else that
we just wouldn’t be able to say. What I will say is I feel really great
about the show this year. It’s going to be the most star-studded room
the Grammys has been for many, many years.”
“There’s a lot going on in our minds right now and a lot that we are
trying to confirm and organize, but we feel in a really good place,” he
added.
 |
Trevor Noah will return as master of ceremonies of the 65th annual Grammy Awards. Michael Schwartz/CBS Broadcasting |
Trevor Noah on Why He is Returning to Host the Grammys
“Well, I have a lot of free time these days, so that’s part of it,”
joked the comedian, who recently wrapped his seven-year stint as host of
The Daily Show,.
“Moments that you have backstage with the performers — you’re just
walking around and you’re seeing Billie Eilish and she’s having a moment
with another artist — you don’t get to see that anywhere else, and you
don’t get to experience that level of joy. For me to be part of that is
truly, I guess now, it’s a three times a lifetime opportunity,” Noah
explained. “I never take it for granted because all of these people are
the soundtracks to our lives.”
On How to Strategize Following the Decline in Ratings for Awards Shows
“I think that award shows are often hit with a stick of: ‘You rated X
in 2018, then Y in 2019, and now you’re at this.’ They ignore the fact
that last year we had 94 billion impressions on social media. You could
argue that now we are reaching a bigger audience than we’ve ever reached
before, but we just have to change the way we’re analyzing it,” Winston
said.
“Do I think the rating will go down from last year? I’d be surprised if
it didn’t. That’s the way television on network is going. Do I think
the Paramount+ streaming numbers will go up? Yes. Do I think the TikTok,
YouTube, Instagram videos that we’re going to put out there will go up?
Absolutely,” he explained. “We can judge things by the way we did in
2015, or we can live in the world that we’re all existing in now and
actually accept that we’ve got to get behind these things and support
these things because they are a celebration of music and culture and
entertainment that we all need.”
“As long as we can be successful in the ways that we need to be in
2023, then I think it’s the biggest night of music and it’ll be an
amazing night of entertainment.”
 |
Beyoncé Kevin Winter/Getty Images |
On Beyoncé’s Potentially History-Making Moment
Beyoncé became the most decorated woman in Grammy history at the 2021
show, and now she’s on track to become the person with the most Grammy
wins of all time.
She’s won 28 honors and needs to win four to beat the record set by the
late conductor Georg Solti, who has won 31 Grammys. Beyoncé is
nominated for nine Grammys at Sunday’s show.
“I can think of few artists who are more deserving of holding that
title and that position. And without disrespecting any of the previous
holders of that title in any way, it is safe to say that Beyoncé has
truly done more than many to shape not just music, but pop culture, the
perception of Black women, Black people in general, connecting the
diaspora in the way she creates her music, defining dance moves. I mean,
she’s left an indelible impression,” Noah said. “Oftentimes people have
amazing influences on music or on culture and then we’ll say, ‘Oh, it
would’ve been great if they were celebrated.’ It’s wonderful that
Beyoncé gets her flowers.”
“I’ve got to be honest with you, I am so excited about the idea of that
happening on the show,” Winston chimed in. “There’s things you control
and there’s things that you can’t control. The things you can control
are who comes, the performances, the running order, everything else. But
who wins has sadly nothing to do with Trevor or I.”
“We can’t deny that it would be a moment of music history that would
happen if she were to win. I think it would be remarkable and it would
be a real piece of television history, and like any producer of live TV
shows, you like those happening on shows that you make,” the 12-time
Emmy winner said.
