UPDATE: Carlos Rivera pulled out of the 2020 Latin Grammys due to exposure to COVID-19. The singer was set to co-host the show alongside Yalitza Aparicio and Ana Brenda Contreras and perform with Natalia Jiménez; Victor Manuelle will now take his place. Rivera took to social media Wednesday (Nov. 18) to share the news with his fans. “This news fills me with sadness,” Rivera said. “Unfortunately, someone on my team whom I work with very closely tested positive for COVID-19. We are being very responsible and although I tested negative, I can’t put anyone at risk, especially my two hosts. I want to wish Victor Manuelle good luck, he will take my place as co-host and I’m sure he’ll do a great job.”
Victor Manuelle is set to co-host the Latin Grammys on Nov. 19 alongside previously announced hosts Yalitza Aparicio and Ana Brenda Contreras, Billboard can exclusively reveal. He replaces Carlos Rivera, who had to back out due to COVID-19 exposure.
“This has been a tough year for all of us in the music industry,” Manuelle, who served as Latin Grammys host back in 2006, tells Billboard. “But I’m honored to be part of this event that, despite a pandemic, carried on to produce the ceremony.”
Having three hosts already speaks to the uniqueness of an extraordinary 21st annual Latin Grammys featuring star-studded performances from different pockets of the world. So, what exactly can viewers expect to see that night? Without spoiling any surprises, Manuelle shares, “this ceremony will be very special. Production wise it will be very different, for example, for the first time ever, we’ll see artists performing around the world including my island [Puerto Rico] featuring Bad Bunny.”
Manuelle is also set to take the stage with Ivy Queen, Rauw Alejandro, Ricardo Montaner and Reik‘s Jesus Navarro for the night’s opening musical number that will pay tribute to salsa icon Héctor Lavoe. “Can you imagine? It’s a great honor for me,” he says. “The opening will allow us to relive Héctor Lavoe’s music, the music that is in our blood, that makes us so proud and is part of our musical history and culture.”
The Latin Grammys — which will also showcase diverse stories of hope, community, sense of purpose, and celebration throughout the night as part of their “music makes us human” theme — will air at 8pm ET via Univision. The event will be preceded by the The Latin Grammy Premiere which starts at 3pm ET via Facebook live and is where the majority of the categories will be awarded.