Trevor Noah riffs on inflation, COVID and the Oscars slap in Grammy opening

Trevor Noah kicked off the Grammy Awards with a series of rapid-fire references to inflation, the coronavirus pandemic, and Will Smith’s infamous Oscars slap in the first few moments of the annual music spectacle.

“The Daily Show” host launched the 64th annual awards show from Las Vegas on Sunday by introducing the group Silk Sonic.

“A dynamic duo who are single-handedly bringing back the 70’s — which might explain all the inflation,” Noah cracked.

Consumer prices rose 7.9 percent over the last 12 months, according to data released last month by the Labor Department — the highest annual rate since 1982.

Noah also noted how COVID-19 had postponed the Grammys. The awards gala was pushed back more than two months from its original Jan. 31 airdate due to concerns over the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

This year, Noah exclaimed, “People are doing shots.”

“I mean, last year people were doing shots, but it was more Moderna and Pfizer.”

Noah also made mention of the jaw-dropping moment that overtook the annual Oscars ceremony just a week earlier, when “King Richard” actor Smith took to the stage and slapped Chris Rock after the comedian made a joke about the performer’s wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.

Smith went on to berate Rock, yelling at him to, “Keep my wife’s name out of your f–king mouth!”

Noah promised the crowd the gala on CBS would include dancing and singing, but quipped: “We’re going to be keeping people’s names out of our mouths!”

Musician Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson also referenced the Smith altercation while introducing the Song of the Year category. Questlove’s Oscars win for “Summer of Soul” in the Best Documentary Feature category was largely overshadowed by the Smith flap, which happened right before his Academy Awards win.

“I’m gonna present this award and I trust that you people will stay 500 feet away from me,” Questlove quipped. “Just playing,” he added.