One of the world’s most high-profile events, the Grammy Awards ceremony is out of bounds for most people.
The guest list for the glitzy event is typically restricted to category nominees, special guests of the Recording Academy, and voting members – which makes the case of Joy Villa so bizarre.
The MAGA-loving Scientologist singer, with less than 3,000 Spotify followers, has walked the red carpet on multiple occasions – despite never having been nominated for an award.
Each time, the 38-year-old from California has shown her support for Donald Trump by way of over-the-top gowns that are a nod to the Republican leader’s conservative policies.
She first made headlines in 2017, when Joy debuted a red, white, and blue gown that was emblazoned with his campaign slogan ‘Make America Great Again’ – and fashioned by fellow Trump supporter Andre Soriano.
The following year, Joy debuted a white anti-abortion gown with the hand-painted image of a fetus on the skirt.
In 2019, she dressed up as President Trump’s longed-for border wall before turning up to the prestigious awards show in a ‘Trump 2020’ gown decorated with the slogan ‘Impeached & Re-elected’ in 2020.
She steered clear of the limelight during Joe Biden’s presidency but, last month, Trump’s biggest supporter stormed the Grammy Awards in celebration of his second term in the Oval Office.
Joy Villa, 38, has been a regular fixture on the Grammy Awards red carpet for the better part of a decade – despite never having been nominated for her music
For each of her appearamces, Joy has donned pro-Trump gowns. In 2019, she dressed up as President Trump’s longed-for border wall – complete with barbed wire and carrying a Make America Great Again handbag
However, confused X users can’t work out why Joy continues to receive invites to music’s biggest night
This time, her maximalist fashion triggered less outrage and more confusion, as baffled X users questioned why the little-known singer from Orange County was invited to the show.
‘I’m being serious,’ one person wrote. ‘Who the hell is Joy Villa? She’s been invited to the Grammys almost every year for the last decade and does this every time.
‘She’s a “singer” with 1,108 monthly listeners on Spotify. Does anyone know what’s going on?’
Another X user noted: ‘Every year, she pulls up in a statement dress, trends for a day, and then vanishes until the next Grammys.’
A third person added: ‘Joy Villa showing up to the Grammys is a tradition at this point, like questionable fashion choices and awkward acceptance speeches.’
‘Why is she even invited?’ another comment read. ‘My friend has more monthly listeners and he’s poor af.’
Slowly, the confusion gave way to fan theories trying to explain Joy’s recurring presence at the Grammy Awards – with social media users highlighting her ‘nepo baby’ status, connection to Scientology, and the years she has spent advocating for Trump as possible reasons.
‘I’ve read two different stories about her,’ one comment read. ‘One that she’s just a walking ad for MAGA and they buy her tickets [to the Grammy Awards], and the other is she’s a “nepo baby” and she’s her uncle’s plus-one cause he’s some jazz musician.’
Since the awards show, baffled X users have questioned why the little-known singer from Orange County was invited to the show
Social media users have highlighed her ‘nepo baby’ status, connection to Scientology, and years-long Trump advocacy as possible reasons for Joy being invited to the Grammy Awards
Joy first made headlines for wearing a tribute gown in honour of President Donald Trump ‘s first term in 2017
According to her Wikipedia page, Joy is the grandniece of American jazz vocalist and Miles Davis collaborator Kenny Hagood, who shared a daughter with Alice Coltrane.
Kenny died in 1989 at the age of 63 so, as one X user pointed out, Joy’s connection to the singer probably doesn’t have ‘anything to do with her Grammys appearances but it is random’.
Joy was born on April 25, 1986, in Orange County, California, to an Italian-Argentine father, Reverend Joseph Villa, and African-American mother, gospel singer Mildred Angela Pierce Villa.
According to her website, the singer and YouTuber wears many hats – from a ‘certified fitness trainer’ and ‘Bikini Body Competitor’ to a ‘vibrant and energetic filmmaker’ and ‘humanitarian on a mission to make the world a better place’.
However, she is best known for being one of President Trump’s most outspoken supporters and a ‘Christian Scientologist’.
In a 2019 interview, Joy said: ‘Christianity is a faith-based relationship, my faith and trust is in Jesus Christ, and God, and going to heaven after I die.
‘Scientology is a workable philosophy,’ she explained, crediting her training for improving her life.
Joy – who goes by Princess Joy Villa and refers to her fandom as ‘Joytribe – has reportedly toured 25 countries including Denmark, France, Japan, South Korea, and Mexico while making pitstops at Scientology centres in those countries.
In 2018, she turned up on the red carpet wearing an anti-abortion white gown, with the hand-painted image of a fetus radiating colors of the rainbow
She was previously married to Danish photographer and fellow Scientologist Thorsten Overgaard, whose association with the Church was detailed in a 2011 article published by Scientology Newsroom.
In a post on his blog The Underground Bunker, American journalist Tony Ortega reported that ‘Joy and her then-fiance Overgaard became “Patron Meritorious” donors’ in 2016 after having ‘given at least $250,000 to the church’.
He also noted the former couple were ‘were married at Scientology’s holiest site, the Fort Harrison Hotel in Clearwater, Florida, on Christmas Day 2016’.
In 2022, a photograph of Joy taken in Brighton, UK, was reportedly shared online; the snap showed her sat at a table allegedly recruiting people to the Church of Scientology.
Joy later documented her visit to Brighton in a post on Instagram on June 15, 2022, with the singer telling her followers about a restaurant called ‘Really Happy Chickn’ where she enjoyed a vegan chicken burger.
Reacting to Joy’s most recent Grammys appearance, one X user wondered whether her connection to the Church had earned her an invite given ‘Scientology’s profile within the entertainment industry’.
Over the years, several celebrties have been associated with the religion, including John Travolta, Elizabeth Moss, Tiffany Haddish, Laura Prepon – and Tom Cruise, considered one of the Church’s most famous advocates.
Two years after her divorce from Overgaard, Joy posted a matrimonial ad on a message board for scientologists in 2021.
According to her website, the singer and YouTuber wears many hats – from a ‘certified fitness trainer’ and ‘Bikini Body Competitor’ to a ‘vibrant and energetic filmmaker’ and ‘humanitarian on a mission to make the world a better place’
However, she is best known for being one of President Trump’s most outspoken supporters and a ‘Christian Scientologist’
The ad, which was reshared on X/Twitter, read that Joy’s ideal life partner must make ‘over $100K a year’, ‘is very much into healthy eating and physical fitness’ and ‘follows the Way to Happiness’ – referring to the 1980 book written by Scientology founder Ron L Hubbard.
Last November, Joy confirmed she had married ‘my best friend’ and ‘the love of my life’ and her tattoo artist Jeremy Lifsey after ’16 years of friendship’.
‘Through everything, God answered my prayers and sent me the perfect imperfect man for my imperfect perfect love. I love HARD and I am no picnic to deal with,’ she wrote on Instagram.
Joy’s social media profile is a haphazard reflection of her religious and political beliefs – much like her puzzling Grammys appearances over the years.
For instance, the controversial musician spoke about her love for Jesus while wearing a red Maga-inspired hat – paired with a gold dress and a Dogecoin crypto necklace – for this year’s ceremony.
Elsewhere, she defended President Trump’s controversial immigration policies and mass deportations enacted by authorities over the past week, amid widespread protests across the country in response this past weekend.
‘I think that the ones that are being deported should be deported,’ Villa, who is also an actress and YouTuber, told The Hollywood Reporter on the red carpet.
‘I love to see rapists, human traffickers deported. I don’t want to see them here.’
Joy’s social media profile is a haphazard collection of her religious and political beliefs – just like her Grammy red carpet appearances over the years
A faction of X users puzzled by Joy’s Grammys appearances theorised they were a ‘walking ad for MAGA’ who buy her tickets in a bid to promote the President’s policies.
This year, she walked the red carpet donning a gold gown with spherical shapes, large dangling cross earrings and a red hat (similar to Trump’s signature ‘Make America Great Again’ cap) with the phrase ‘THE HAT STAYS ON.’
Joy said she would not remove the cap under any circumstances, pointing at the failed assassination attempt on Trump last summer in Butler, Pennsylvania.
‘The hat stays on – they tried to kill Trump – he’s still alive, thank God,’ Villa said of the incident, in which attendee Corey Comperatore was tragically killed by the gunfire, while two other men, David Dutch and James Copenhaver, were injured.
Villa told the outlet, ‘Because they tried to get rid of Trump and now he’s still here, this hat’s not going anywhere. Like the red-hat army that we’ve seen.’
