If you're tuning in to the 2026 Grammys with a keen eye on Taylor Swift, brace yourself for a surprise: a blank space where her performance should be. After rumors swirled that the "Fate of Ophelia" singer, who didn't release any music within the award show's 2026 eligibility period, would be gracing the Trevor Noah-hosted event airing on CBS on February 1st, Grammy Awards Executive Producer Ben Winston set the record straight—sort of.
"The only reason people think Taylor might be performing or coming is because HITS decided to print it this week and put it in their HITS List, and it was picked up globally," Ben said in an interview with HITS published on January 22nd. "But HITS just totally made that up. And now I'm getting asked about it by you, as if it's a real thing, when it was made up in your office!"

In addition to cheekily addressing Taylor's attendance, Ben also called out the irony of being asked by the same publication at the center of the speculation. "That really is a full-circle rumor!" he added.
One star who is confirmed to perform at the event is Sabrina Carpenter, who made her performance debut in 2025 with songs "Please Please Please" and "Espresso." Indeed, the "Nonsense" singer, who is nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for Man's Best Friend, was the first performer announced for music's biggest night—and that was intentional.
"The plan is to roll out a new artist every day up until the show, like a Christmas advent calendar," Ben explained. "We think it will build excitement. Sabrina's performance last year was actually the turning point of the show, because we dealt upfront with the fires and there was quite a somber feel to it."
And while there was a lot of pressure on the former Disney Channel star to deliver, her pop performance was exactly what was needed after last year's Los Angeles wildfires.
"We were relying on Sabrina to turn the tide and go, 'Okay, now we can have fun,'" he continued. "That's a really tough thing to ask that first performer to be able to do, but nothing seems to phase her."
"The joy she brought allowed for the rest of the show to be celebratory and not feel like it was a night of fundraising for charity," Ben added. "So yes, she's back. She's got a massive performance planned."