Shaboozey took home his first-ever Grammy award on Sunday, February 1st, and he did so alongside Jelly Roll. Yet, it was his speech that drew controversy for being both tone deaf, plus a diss toward his co-winner. So, what are critics saying about the thirty-year-old? Keep reading for all of the details regarding his speech.
Shaboozey Wins First Grammy
On Sunday, February 1st, 2026, a handful of Grammy awards were handed out before the live show began. This was hard for viewers to handle as some of the best in the industry took home awards for the first time. Shaboozey was one of them, as he and Jelly Roll landed a Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the song “Amen.” Fans were thrilled for Jelly Roll, as he had been nominated before but had yet to win. When Shaboozey accepted the award, he gave an emotional and heartfelt speech.
In his speech, he addressed several hot topics in America:
“I’ve never written a speech in my life…Dear God, I just wanna say thank you. Nothing is possible without you. I want to also thank my mother, who as of today has retired from her job of 30 years, working in the medical field as a registered nurse in the psych ward. She worked 3 to 4 jobs just to provide for me and my four siblings, the children of immigrants … I have the greatest team in the world, thank you so much. And the last thing I want to say is immigrants built this country, literally. So this is for them, for all children of immigrants. This is also for those who came to this country for better opportunities … Thank you for all your stories … you’ve given America color. Thank you.”
However, this did not sit well with the African-American community, especially Bernice King, the daughter of MLK. They felt that he left out a pivotal group of people and the importance of winning this award when he did.
It’s #BlackHistoryMonth and I have to ask:
Are people including enslaved Africans, descendants of those enslaved, and Black people whose unjust, low-wage labor sustained the economy in the 1800s/1900s as immigrants when they say “immigrants built this country”?
Because…
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) February 2, 2026
Furthermore, he was the first black man to win this particular award on the first day of Black History Month. Therefore, Shaboozey knew that he had to rewrite the script and start from scratch. So, the Woodbridge, Virginia, native issued a statement on his social media page.
Yet, there were more problems with his speech than just leaving out a core community of people.
What About Jelly Roll?
It is clear from Shaboozey’s Grammy speech that he was thankful for his family. However, he did not thank his award partner, Jelly Roll. He was not mentioned once in his speech, and that shook fans to the core. They felt that this was rude and irresponsible to completely ignore Jelly Roll, who helped him win the award:
- He forgot to thank Jellyroll!
- Yes, it’s only polite. They both get a Grammy. Both their names are on the signage behind them. Both their names are on the winning ticket and jelly did not have to say yes he could’ve said his schedule was too tight maybe next time and if it had been jelly, I would’ve expected the same thing. It’s called professionalism.
It seems that Shaboozey made a lot of mistakes on that Grammy stage, but in all fairness, it was his first. Moreover, he stated that he had never written a speech, so he did the best that he could. Now, he knows for the future what to do and what not to do.
Did you have any problems with Shaboozey’s speech, or was it just fine to you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Amanda has been a professional freelance writer for over a decade, holding both a BA and an MA. Her passions include animals, iced coffee, gnomes, summer, music, and ‘Vanderpump Rules’.