For the first time ever, the BRIT Awards took place in Manchester on Saturday, moving the annual ceremony outside of London and to the North of England.
While people watched the awards show to celebrate great music, other parts of the live broadcast also grabbed viewers’ attention – but not always for the right reasons.
Jack Whitehall hosted the event again this year, marking his first time back since 2021. His jokes covered a wide range of subjects – including figures like Peter Mandelson and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and the recent controversies surrounding the BAFTAs – which prompted concerns from ITV’s censors.
Jack wasn’t the only one silenced; AngryGinge was also cut off after calling London a highly offensive name.
Music fans cheered as Harry Styles made his return to live performances after a three-year break. The show also included a brief interruption when a protestor was removed from the stage, and a surprising moment of praise from Noel Gallagher for his brother, Liam.
Now that the 2026 BRIT Awards have concluded, let’s revisit some of the most talked-about moments from this year’s show.
Noel Gallagher praises Liam in a rare sweet comment
Noel Gallagher complimented his brother Liam when he won the Songwriter of the Year award at the 2026 BRIT Awards.
Even though Noel and Liam Gallagher have had a famously difficult relationship since Oasis broke up in 2009, Noel, now 58, recently publicly recognized Liam, 53, and his contributions to the music they made together.
He explained that his brother’s unique voice and stage presence were essential to the success of the songs that captured the sound of a generation of British rock.
Noel also expressed his gratitude to the other members of the Roll With It band following their very successful reunion last year.
Bobby Gillespie, the lead singer of Primal Scream, presented the award to the singer as the audience cheered.
Noel Gallagher directly addressed the Manchester crowd, starting with a thank you to his brother, as well as Bonehead, Guigsy, Andy, and Gem. He explained that without their contributions, he’d simply be a solo singer-songwriter – and not many people are interested in that.
The lead singer of The High Flying Birds was introduced by Pep Guardiola, the manager of his favorite soccer team, Manchester City. He then led a chant supporting City, which received a mixed reaction from the audience at the Co-Op Live Arena.
Noel added: ‘Up the f****** blues.’
Jack Whitehall is censored
Executives had to edit out a joke made by host Jack Whitehall about political figure Peter Mandelson.
I still can’t believe it! They finally arrested him! It’s been brewing for ages, all these whispers about what he did when he was in charge of business. Apparently, they’re saying he leaked secret stuff while he was minister, and to Jeffrey Epstein of all people! It’s absolutely sickening. I’ve been following this for so long, collecting every piece of information I could find, and it’s just… devastating to see it all come out. Honestly, it’s been a long time coming, but still, to actually see him in handcuffs… it’s unreal. The investigation is looking into serious misconduct, and it all points back to him helping that monster. I just want the truth to come out completely.
Jack appeared to make reference to Mandelson while speaking to Manchester’s Mayor Andy Burnham.
ITV censors cut Jack’s joke from the broadcast, replacing his comments with bird sounds for viewers at home.
Jack made a joke about the BRIT Awards, saying it’s ‘the only party Andy is allowed into these days.’ This was a dig at Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to prevent Andy from becoming a Labour party candidate for Parliament.
During the presentation, the speaker mentioned Peter Mandelson’s name appearing in documents related to the Epstein case, but quickly corrected themself, saying it was a different list.
Despite being cut from the ITV broadcast, the joke was still shared on the BRIT Awards’ Instagram.
AngryGinge finds himself muted
I was so excited for AngryGinge when his hometown was announced as the host for the BRIT Awards! It was amazing to see him celebrating, but it looks like he got temporarily muted online for it – which honestly, is just typical of the internet sometimes. He’s always been a bit of a character, and I’m glad he’s getting the recognition he deserves.
He jokingly said, ‘It’s fantastic the BRIT Awards are being held in Manchester, as it’s showing everyone that London isn’t all it’s cracked up to be!’
Viewers at home were puzzled by the censorship, which made it difficult to hear the joke’s ending.
Bjork’s surprise performance
Bjork made a surprise appearance during Rosalia’s performance.
The 60-year-old Icelandic singer looked delightfully eccentric as she joined the 33-year-old Spanish artist on stage to perform their song, Berghain.
Bjork turned heads at the event in a strikingly futuristic blue gown, paired with a bold black headpiece.
Rosalía performed with a lot of energy on stage, wearing a simple white dress. She contrasted with a performer who had her hair styled in buns and wore bold makeup.
Host Jack Whitehall compared the performance—a blend of opera and techno music—to a combination of the traditional ‘Last Night of the Proms’ concert and the lively atmosphere of a club like ‘Pacha in Ibiza’.
A protestor invades the stage
During Sombr’s performance at the BRIT Awards, security removed a protestor from the stage.
Twenty-year-old Shane Boose, known as Sombr, performed his song ‘Back to Friends’ on stage. He wore a bright pink suit, leaving it open to reveal his chest.
During the performance, a man suddenly rushed the stage and shoved the singer away from his microphone stand, shocking the audience.
The unidentified man then turned around to reveal a t-shirt that read ‘Sombr is a homewrecker’.
Security personnel quickly removed the man from the stage during the awards ceremony.
Daily Mail understands the stage invasion was planned and part of Sombr’s performance.
Representatives for Sombr have been approached for comment.
Okay, so he had to do something huge for ‘Homewrecker,’ right? And honestly, it totally worked! Millions of people are talking about it – I’ve seen it everywhere! It was the perfect way to get the song out there, and everyone’s obsessed now, just like me!
After the event unfolded, social media users shared a variety of reactions, with one person tweeting praise for Sombr and their team, saying they made it feel incredibly realistic.
It’s unclear why Sombr posted this to his preview site – it was quite disorganized. However, a really smart advertisement for his new song, ‘Homewrecker’, made up for it. Very clever indeed!
Harry Styles first live performance in 3 years
Harry Styles thrilled fans by stepping onto the red carpet and returning to performing after a three-year break.
He confidently performed an energetic and well-rehearsed dance routine alongside a large group of dancers, even throwing in some spirited hand gestures.
Social media exploded with excitement after Harry Styles’ performance at the BRIT Awards. Fans enthusiastically declared his return and praised the performance as amazing, using phrases like ‘He’s so back!’ and ‘Harry Styles absolutely killed it!’ Many simply expressed their love for the artist.
Harry debuted his new song, Aperture, with a surprise performance that started with host Jack Whitehall unexpectedly finding out about the singer’s upcoming break while sitting in a barbershop in 2023.
A quick series of scenes showed Jack anxiously waiting for Harry to arrive, and finally, Harry made it to the BRIT Awards just as his performance was about to begin.
Read More
- Clash of Clans Unleash the Duke Community Event for March 2026: Details, How to Progress, Rewards and more
- Jason Statham’s Action Movie Flop Becomes Instant Netflix Hit In The United States
- Kylie Jenner squirms at ‘awkward’ BAFTA host Alan Cummings’ innuendo-packed joke about ‘getting her gums around a Jammie Dodger’ while dishing out ‘very British snacks’
- Gold Rate Forecast
- Hailey Bieber talks motherhood, baby Jack, and future kids with Justin Bieber
- eFootball 2026 Jürgen Klopp Manager Guide: Best formations, instructions, and tactics
- Jujutsu Kaisen Season 3 Episode 8 Release Date, Time, Where to Watch
- How to download and play Overwatch Rush beta
- Brent Oil Forecast
- How to watch Marty Supreme right now – is Marty Supreme streaming?
2026-03-01 05:07