American Music Awards

28 May 2025

2025 American Music Awards Attract Largest Audience Since 2019

You never know what will happen when you throw a lot of changes at a long-running awards show — but for the 2025 American Music Awards, it appears that change is a good thing. The show, which was hosted by Jennifer Lopez and held at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Monday for the first time, posted its largest audience since 2019 (when the show was hosted by Ciara).

The AMAs were the No. 1 broadcast of the night on Monday. The show attracted 4.86 million viewers, according to Nielsen, up 38% from its last live broadcast in 2022 (airing Nov. 20, 2022, and hosted by Wayne Brady on ABC).

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There were many changes with this year’s show — it was the first regular AMAs broadcast on CBS, the first to air on Memorial Day (or in the spring, in general), the first not to take place in the Los Angeles area and first since a time reduction from three to two hours.

The 2025 American Music Awards ratings measures Live+SD Fast National Data including Out-of-Home Viewing and live streaming on Paramount+.

The 2025 American Music Awards outpaced several other recent primetime specials, including ABC’s CMA Country Christmas hosted by Amy Grant and Trisha Yearwood on Dec. 3, 2024; NBC’s Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music on Jan. 27, 2025; and ABC’s CMA Fest on June 25, 2024.

The 2025 American Music Awards on CBS drove 9.2 billion potential impressions and 816,600 mentions on social media, while also posting growth across all key demographics versus the 2022 broadcast: up 91% among adults 18-34, up 23% among adults 18-49 and up 16% among adults 25-54.

The 2025 American Music Awards social accounts garnered over 100M video views within the first 24 hours across Instagram, Tiktok, X and Facebook, according to Listenfirst.

The ceremony’s Twitch live broadcast peaked at 205.5 thousand during YouTube star Kai Cenat’s onstage appearance, according to TwitchTracker.

Jennifer Lopez, Ama

Jennifer Lopez

American Music Awards

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.

28 May 2025

Blake Shelton Reacts to Gripes About Him and Gwen Stefani Not Performing Live on 2025 American Music Awards: ‘Really Nothing Else to Say’

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani both performed at Monday night’s 2025 American Music Awards. Shelton made his AMAs debut with a run through his patriotic anthem “Stay Country or Die Tryin’,” and then returned later to introduce a medley from his wife Stefani. The No Doubt singer and solo star opened with her recent country-tinged Bouquet single “Swallow My Tears,” before moving on to quick runs through her 2006 hit “The Sweet Escape” and Her 2005 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Hollaback Girl.”

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While both performances lit up the stage, attendees of the show at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas began posted afterwards that viewers at home may not have clocked that the sets were pre-taped, leaving the audience in the room staring at an empty stage for Shelton and watching a video of Stefani’s mini-set.

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Though the broadcast did not note in real time that the performances were pre-taped, the practice is standard at major awards shows such as the AMAs. A source close to the production confirmed to Billboard that both artists pre-taped their performances before live audiences.

On Tuesday night (May 27), Shelton posted a response to the chatter on X, writing, “Just now seeing these stories about Gwen and I pretaping our performances for the AMA’s. We came and performed when the show asked us to.. Really nothing else to say,” adding a shrugging emoji to the post that was later re-posted by Stefani.

At press time Stefani had not offered any comment of her own, but she did appear to live-blog the show on Monday night, giving shout-outs to Benson Boone and Gloria Estefan in real time.

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.

28 May 2025

Shaboozey Giving Megan Moroney The Mean Side Eye For Crediting The Carter Family For Creating Country Music Sparks Plenty of Reactions

Shaboozey Spoke For All Black People During AMAs Viral Moment

Source: Ethan Miller / Getty / Shaboozey / Megan Moroney

Shaboozey couldn’t keep a straight face when Megan Moroney made an egregious claim about who created country music, and thankfully, it was caught in 4K.

The “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer went viral for not being able to keep a poker face, and understandably so after fellow country artist Megan Moroney had the audacity and caucasity to credit The Carter Family as the inventors of country music.

It was one of the head-scratching moments during the 2025 American Music Awards that garnered plenty of reactions on social media.

While presenting the award for the Favorite Country Duo or Group category, Shaboozey began the segment by reading the teleprompter, telling the audience and viewers, “Country music has been an important part of AMA history. The very first year of this show, the award for Favorite Male Country Artist went to the great Charlie Pride.”

Moroney got the ultimate side eye from Shaboozey when she followed him by saying, “That same year, Favorite Female Artist went to Lynn Anderson, and this award [Favorite Country Duo or Group] went to the Carter family, who basically invented country music.”

The reactions to the moment were instant, with many users on X, formerly Twitter, basically praising the artist for keeping it real following Moroney’s comments.

Shaboozey did respond on his personal X account after the moment went viral, writing in a post that tries to help him save face, writing, “The real history of country music is about people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.”

It’s all good Shaboozey, no need to explain, we all made the same face listening to Moroney make that comment.

You can see more reactions in the gallery below.

1. Lol, ours too

2. Shaboozey face said it all

3. Accurate

4. Basically

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28 May 2025

Shaboozey Defends Megan Moroney From ‘Hateful Comments’ After Viral Side-Eye Moment at the AMAs

Shaboozey is coming to Megan Moroney‘s defense after a remark she made during the duo’s American Music Awards presentation landed her in hot water with some viewers Monday (May 26).

In a comment on the “Tennessee Orange” singer’s latest Instagram post Tuesday (May 27), ‘Boozey spoke out against the “hateful comments” Moroney has been receiving since the ceremony and called her “an incredibly talented, hard-working artist who’s doing amazing things for country music.”

His response comes a day after the pair presented favorite country duo/group to Dan + Shay at the 2025 AMAs, during which Moroney read off the teleprompter that the very first act to win the prize had been the Carter family, “who basically invented country music.” (The Carter family is comprised of A.P Carter, Sara Dougherty Carter and Maybelle Addington Carter, according to the Country Music Hall of Fame, which also refers to them as “The First Family of Country Music.”) 

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In that moment, the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer seemingly gave Moroney a side-eye, with some viewers interpreting his expression as a silent disagreement or protest. Since the show, many people online have pointed out that Black musicians pioneered the genre and, despite being all-too-frequently excluded from history, influenced several of country’s earliest superstars — though some of that discussion has manifested in vitriolic comments on the “Am I Okay?” artist’s profile. 

But in his reply on Moroney’s post, Shaboozey clarified that his reaction “had nothing to do with” his partner on the AMAs stage. “I’ve got nothing but respect for her,” he continued. “I’ve seen some hateful comments directed at her today, and that’s not what this moment was about.”

“Let’s not twist the message,” added the Virginia native. “She is amazing and someone who represents the country community in the highest light!”

Both ‘Boozey and Moroney had big years in 2024, with the former tying Lil Nas X’s record for longest-running No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 after “A Bar Song” clocked its 19th week in the top spot, and the latter earning her first-ever top 10 album on the Billboard 200 with Am I Okay? reaching No. 9 on the chart. But Shaboozey’s success has been particularly meaningful in a genre that has historically struggled to recognize Black artists, even in modern times.

Shortly before commenting on Moroney’s post, the “Good News” musician refocused the conversation on what’s important following the AMAs. “When you uncover the true history of country music, you find a story so powerful that it cannot be erased …,” he wrote Tuesday morning on X.

He added, “The real history of country music is about people coming together despite their differences, and embracing and celebrating the things that make us alike.”

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media. 

28 May 2025

Eminem Upsets Kendrick Lamar In 2 Big AMA Categories

2025 American Music Awards - Show
Source: Christopher Polk / Getty

On Monday (May 26), some of your favorite music artists were bestowed with awards at the 2025 American Music Awards and while some were expected due to the success they experienced this past year, others were surprising as some upsets were pulled off as a reminder that yes, this is America alright.

Most shocking to many in the Hip-Hop culture was Eminem’s wins over Kendrick Lamar for Favorite Hip Hop Artist and Favorite Hip Hop Album as Slim Shady almost helped shut out Kendrick winning any awards in the 10 categories he was nominated in. Now, we can’t deny that Eminem is a Hip-Hop legend, but the man did not have a better year than Kendrick Lamar did in 2024 in any sense of the word. Just sayin’. Luckily, K. Dot was recognized for the work he put in in his efforts to dismantle Drake and took home the award for Favorite Hip-Hop Song for his classic cut “Not Like Us.”

As the show went on many of your other favorite artists took home some gold as the likes of Megan Thee Stallion (Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist), Bruno Mars (Favorite Male Pop Artist) and Beyoncé (Favorite Female Country Artist) were recognized for their body of work this past year. We’re low-key surprised Beyoncé winning a country award didn’t spur MAGA to take to social media to say this is what’s wrong with America or something.

The biggest winner of the night was indeed Billie Eilish who took home seven awards including Artist Of The Year and Album Of The Year for her third studio album Hit Me Hard And Soft.

While many fans think these awards shows are rigged in some way, shape or form, according to People, the nominees and winners of the American Music Awards is a fan-voted awards ceremony based on “key fan interactions, including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay and tour grosses.”

How this algorithm led to Eminem beating out Kendrick Lamar still doesn’t make sense to us, but that’s neither here nor there.

Check out the complete list of winners on the American Music Awards website, and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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27 May 2025

Taylor Swift Fans React to Pop Star’s AMAs Absence After Weeks of Hoping for an Announcement

There was a blank space where fans thought Taylor Swift was going to be at the 2025 American Music Awards, with the pop star skipping the show altogether despite weeks of Swifties theorizing that she was going to make an announcement at the ceremony Monday (May 26).

And though there was never any guarantee that the “Fortnight” singer would attend — much less reveal something by way of new music — many fans are still taking to social media to express their disappointment in the lack of a Swift surprise. While some are sharing memes declaring themselves “clowns” for believing that the 14-time Grammy winner would show up, others are still looking for an explanation behind the seeming “clues” that led them to believe she would be there in the first place.

“i know that taylor doesn’t owe us anything but what was the reason behind this?” one person wrote on X, sharing a screenshot of Swift’s online store with a display menu that reads, “Apparel, Music, Accessories, Sale.”

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The store menu — which spells out “AMAs” with each word’s first letter — was one of several non-Easter eggs that gave fans false hope that Swift would be at the ceremony. Over the past couple of weeks, Swifties also noticed that many of her site’s items were on sale for 26% off, which they pointed out matched the date of this year’s AMAs: May 26.

And while some thought that Swift would announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version) and others were convinced that she’d unveil her next studio album, all of the believers were absolutely certain that the aforementioned details were no coincidence — except, they turned out to be just that. Not only did the “Karma” artist not make an announcement, she didn’t even show up.

To cope with the letdown, many of those fans are making jokes at their own expense. “me bc taylor didn’t show up to the #AMAs,” one Swiftie wrote on X, posting a screenshot of the singer’s Folklore song “This Is Me Trying” edited to say, “This Is Me Clowning.”

Another person shared a screengrab of a fitting lyric from The Tortured Poets Department‘s “But Daddy I Love Him” — “You should see your faces” — and a third fan shared a photo of an empty AMAs red carpet and wrote sarcastically, “Taylor Swift stuns at the #AMAs.”

Swift hasn’t dropped an album since Tortured Poets in April 2024, after which the LP spent 17 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. It’s been even longer since she released another Taylor’s Version re-record, with the last one, 1989 (Taylor’s Version), arriving in October 2023. Fans have been eager for the next one in the series ever since, with Reputation and Swift’s 2006 self-titled debut being the only two of her first six albums due for a re-rerelease amid her quest to reclaim ownership of her masters.

And as the AMAs proved to be fruitless in terms of any Swift news, fans will just have to keep clowning. Keep reading to see some of their best reactions to the musician’s absence below.

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.

27 May 2025

Which Performance From the 2025 American Music Awards Was Your Favorite? Vote!

The 2025 American Music Awards saw some of the world’s biggest stars flock to Las Vegas Monday night (May 26), with many of them delivering show-stopping performances in between presentations of awards that the internet is still talking about the next day.

The first of those showcases came at the very beginning of the ceremony, with Jennifer Lopez — who also hosted the event — opening with a dance medley set to some of the past year’s biggest hits, from Kendrick Lamar’s “TV Off” to Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather.” After making out with her backup dancers and pulling off a number of jaw-dropping flips, the “Jenny From the Block” singer ceded the stage to a performance list that also included Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson, Reneé Rapp and Becky G with Manuel Turizo.

Also on Monday night, Alex Warren made his award show debut by performing smash hit “Ordinary” live for the first time in such a setting, while Gloria Estefan got the crowd up and dancing with a medley featuring “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You,” “La Vecina (No Sé Na)” and “Conga.” Janet Jackson also barreled through a string of her own hits moments before accepting the 2025 Icon award, and Rod Stewart later closed out the show in celebration of the AMAs honoring him with a Lifetime Achievement certification.

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But while the AMAs were full of great live moments, Billboard wants to know which one was your absolute favorite. From Benson Boone’s backflipping to Lopez’s daring display, vote for your personal top performance of the night below.

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.

27 May 2025

Nikki Glaser Admits She Was ‘Clowning’ for a Taylor Swift Announcement at the 2025 AMAs

Nikki Glaser was one of countless Swifties who was a little let down after the 2025 American Music Awards ended with no word from Taylor Swift, despite a trail of seeming clues leading up to the show that fans had thought meant the pop superstar be making an appearance or announcing something major on Monday night (May 26).

But in the hours before the ceremony ended in Las Vegas — back when Swiftie hopes were still high — the comedian gushed in a red carpet interview with Billboard that she was indeed “clowning” over the possibility of the pop superstar showing up to unveil either a brand new album or Reputation (Taylor’s Version). “I did see a list on Instagram tonight of all the Easter eggs that say that she’s going to be here,” Glaser said, noting that she was trying not to think too much about it, lest she “freak out.”

“I’m usually someone that doesn’t clown, and I’m like, ‘Guys, don’t get your hopes up,’” she continued while speaking to QTCinderalla and Billboard’s Tetris Kelly. “But I think I’m clowning.”

Ultimately, Swift didn’t even attend the awards, much less share news about a new project. The no-show came weeks after fans first noticed that the 14-time Grammy winner’s online store had changed to display a menu reading, “Apparel, Music, Accessories, Sale,” spelling out “AMAs” with each word’s first letter. Swifties — Glaser included — also discovered that several items on the website were on sale for 26% off their original price, matching the May 26 date of the ceremony.

“It’s too much of a coincidence with all the 26s lining up,” Glaser gushed to Billboard. “What else could it be? There’s gotta be something, and if there’s not … I have a feeling she’s holding onto [Reputation (Taylor’s Version)] for a long time. I think that girl’s got new music for us — that’s my prediction.”

But despite her excitement, the TV personality noted that she would be happy even if Swift didn’t make any moves that night. “Even if she doesn’t show up, we love it,” added Glaser, who later presented new artist of the year to Gracie Abrams. “Thank you for the puzzle.”

Though Monday’s goose chase ended up leading to a dead end, Swift is famous for teasing things months in advance and leaving Easter eggs for her fans to decode. The practice dates back to the very beginning of her career, when she used to hide secret messages in her CD lyric booklets by not-so-randomly capitalizing letters. In the 20 years since, Swifties have gotten used to scanning everything from her outfits to her Instagram captions for subtle clues about her next steps.

Glaser has long been a fan of the “Fortnight” singer, revealing in December that she’d spent nearly $100,000 to see Swift on 22 Eras Tour shows in 2023 and 2024. “She has no idea who I am, but I’m just the biggest fan,” the comedian said in July of being “addicted” to the concerts on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “I want to just see it as much as possible, it’s the thing that makes me happiest in the world.”

In February, however, the Someday You’ll Die stand-up explained why she would never approach her idol in person. “Taylor, she’s just — everyone wants a piece,” she said on Armchair Expert With Dax Shepard of bumping into the pop star at award shows. “I will never be the one to be like, ‘Excuse me!’ There’s no way that she’s dying for that on a night like this where everyone’s doing it. And of course, she would be so nice. I know exactly how it would go down, but I don’t wanna take someone’s energy away that I require their energy to be put into making great music.”

27 May 2025

MGK Said He Had a Very Good Reason For Skipping 2025 American Music Awards After Walking Red Carpet

You might have noticed that Machine Gun Kelly walked the red carpet at Monday night’s (May 26) 2025 American Music Awards, but did not appear to make it into the actual ceremony in Las Vegas. According to E! News, the “Cliché” singer had to bail on his first major event since welcoming a child with ex Megan Fox in March because their daughter was home sick with a fever.

“Baby’s great,” he told E! of the child whose name the former couple have not yet revealed. “She has a little bit of a fever, so I’m gonna just walk the carpet and go back, you know what I mean, and handle my business. Give her my pheromones, and let her heal up.”

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MGK, 35, who also has a 15-year-old daughter, Casie, with ex Emma Cannon, told E! that family always comes first. “I was born to be a dad. Yeah, it’s my purpose,” he said. Before taking his leave, MGK spoke to Billboard on the AMAs red carpet about recording the new single in his living room after his studio burned down, switching things up with with “new pictures in his art gallery” and returning to the Warped Tour.

To date, like many celebrity parents, Machine Gun (born Colson Baker) and Fox have kept details and photos of their daughter offline, though the proud dad did share a sneaky selfie last week in which fans could get a glimpse of the three-month-old in a baby carrier strapped to the rapper/singer’s chest reflected on a shiny car door.

The rapper-turned-singer is riding high at the moment after his pop-leaning latest single, “Cliché,” topped Billboard’s new music poll on Friday (May 23). Fans chose it as their favorite new track of the week, with the tune running up 38% of the vote as it edged out new songs from Joe Jonas, Burna Boy, Travis Scott, Karol G and Alex Warren with Jelly Roll.

27 May 2025

Snubs & Surprises at 2025 American Music Awards

Taylor Swift was shut out at the AMAs for the first time since 2007.

Taylor Swift at the AFC Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Taylor Swift at the AFC Championship game between the Buffalo Bills and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Brooke Sutton/Getty Images

There were some genuine surprises at the 2025 American Music Awards. Billie Eilish won in all seven categories in which she was nominated, including artist of the year, which had gone to fellow nominee Taylor Swift seven times between 2009 and 2022. The 51st AMAs were presented on Monday (May 26) at Fontainebleau Las Vegas in a fast-paced, two-hour ceremony hosted by Jennifer Lopez.

Eilish won new artist of the year at the AMAs six years ago. Eilish is the third AMA new artist of the year winner to go on to win the artist of the year prize, following Carrie Underwood and Ariana Grande. Underwood won the new artist prize in 2006 and the top artist award one year later. Grande won the new artist prize in 2013 and the top artist award in 2016.

This was the first regular American Music Awards broadcast in two-and-a-half years; the first that aired on CBS (the show aired on ABC from 1974-2022), and the first not to be held in the Los Angeles area.

Some of the awards went exactly as expected. Dan + Shay won favorite country group for the fifth consecutive time. Bad Bunny and Becky G kept up their long winning streaks in Latin categories. SZA won a pair of awards – favorite female R&B artist and favorite R&B song for “Saturn.” And Tyla won favorite Afrobeats artist.

But you wouldn’t have an awards show without snubs and surprises, and there were some big ones at this year’s AMAs. Take a look.

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.