Grammys Hosts Through the Years: Ellen DeGeneres, LL Cool J and More

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Grammys Hosts Through the Years: Ellen DeGeneres, LL Cool J and More

Hollywood's finest! Ellen DeGeneres and LL Cool J are just a few of the notable stars who've hosted the Grammy Awards since they began in 1959. Before the awards were telecast for the first time in 1971, the Recording Academy held dinners in multiple locations across the U.S. and aired a TV special called "The Best on Record" giving glimpses of the celebrations. Between 1959 to 1970, honorees gathered in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, New York City, Nashville and Chicago for the ceremonies. When the Grammys eventually changed their format, they became a big hit with audiences at home. Late, great stars Frank Sinatra, Jerry Lewis and Kenny Rogers took the stage to emcee some of the earliest awards shows. As the years went on, movie stars and musicians alike tried their hand at hosting "music's biggest night." Late singer Andy Williams holds the record for most frequent Grammys host having taken up the role from 1971 to 1977. Following closely behind is LL Cool J, who hosted five ceremonies from 2012 to 2016. When James Corden took over the gig the following year, the NCIS actor was at peace with the choice. "They wanted to do something different, and I actually felt totally comfortable with that," he told Billboard magazine in February 2017. "I had an amazing run on the Grammys. I'm good. I made some great friends, I have friends at the Academy, friends on the production team, the executives." [jwplayer fBMqAZEj-l3ahXupL] Though the awards often appear to be a well-oiled machine, sometimes things don't always go as planned. Before she hosted the 62nd annual Grammys from Los Angeles in January 2020, Alicia Keys was forced to make some quick changes to her routine in the wake of Kobe Bryant's tragic death. She performed an a cappella version of "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" with Boyz II Men to pay tribute to the NBA player at the Staples Center, where he'd played as a Laker. "I think that it was definitely a crazy feeling because, literally minutes before, we were going to do something else," the "Underdog" singer said on The Ellen DeGeneres Show days after the Grammys took place. "And we had to really figure out how can we properly honor him in his house on this night [with] everybody who adores him and loves him so much and has been inspired by him and felt so devastated in that moment." Keep scrolling for a look back at some of the most notable Grammys hosts through the years.

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Frank Sinatra

The late Rat Pack crooner, who has 11 Grammys to his name, hosted the fifth annual awards show in 1963. At the time, the celebration took place in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York simultaneously.

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Jerry Lewis

The comedian was the next major star to host the Grammys in 1966 after the two previous ceremonies went without an emcee.

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Kenny Rogers

The legendary country artist, who died in March 2020, took the reins for the 22nd annual Grammy Awards in 1980 and returned to host for a second time six years later.

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Paul Simon

Despite earning 12 Grammys — including the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award — the "Bridge Over Troubled Water" singer has only hosted the show once. The 23rd annual Grammys took place in 1981 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

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Billy Crystal

While many musicians have taken the stage to host, the Grammys have also been led by comedians and movie stars. Crystal hosted three consecutive times between 1987 and 1989.

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Garry Shandling

The controversial stand-up comedian hosted four Grammy Awards telecasts before his death in 2016: the 32nd and 33rd annual shows in 1990 and 1991, respectively, followed by the 35th and 36th awards in 1993 and 1994.

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Whoopi Goldberg

The eventual EGOT winner was the face of the 34th annual Grammy Awards in 1992, seven years after winning the trophy for Best Comedy Recording for Whoopi Goldberg: Direct from Broadway.

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Ellen DeGeneres

Then known for her groundbreaking sitcom Ellen, the longtime talk show personality hosted back-to-back Grammys in 1996 and 1997.

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Kelsey Grammer

The Frasier alum emceed the 40th annual Grammy Awards in 1998, which later earned him a nomination for Best Host or Performer of a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special from the Online Film & Television Association.

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Rosie O'Donnell

O'Donnell pulled double duty when she hosted consecutive telecasts in 1999 and 2000.

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Jon Stewart

At the height of his popularity from The Daily Show, the comedian hosted the Grammys twice in a row in 2001 and 2002.

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Queen Latifah

For the 45th and 46th awards ceremonies, the Grammys went without a host. The "U.N.I.T.Y." rapper took over for the 47th awards in 2005, hosting live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

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LL Cool J

After Latifah, six Grammys took place without a celeb host. LL Cool J took the stage as host for the first time in 2012 and returned to the Staples Center stage for the next four awards shows.

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James Corden

The Late Late Show With James Corden star took over from LL Cool J for the 59th annual Grammys in 2017 and hosted again the following year at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.

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Alicia Keys

The 15-time Grammy winner got help from her girl squad — including Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Jada Pinkett Smith — during her first hosting gig in 2019. Keys returned to host the 2020 ceremony and performed a moving tribute to late Kobe Bryant, who died hours before the telecast began.

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Trevor Noah

In November 2020, it was confirmed that the South Africa native would be hosting Music's Biggest Night for the first time in January 2021. Noah rose to prominence in 2015 after taking Jon Stewart's place on The Daily Show and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Comedy Album in 2019.

Nearly one year after his hosting debut, the awards show tapped Noah to return for the 64th annual ceremony, which was postponed to April 2022 amid the coronavirus pandemic. Noah returns to the Grammys stage for the third consecutive year in February 2023.