Taylor Swift will not attend 2026 AMAs

People reported on May 22 that Taylor Swift will not attend the 2026 American Music Awards on Monday, May 25, despite entering the show as its top nominee. The singer is up for eight awards, according to the AMAs’ official nominations list, including Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for “The Life of a Showgirl.” The 52nd American Music Awards are scheduled to air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS and Paramount+, according to the show’s official watch page. Queen Latifah is set to host the ceremony. Swift’s absence removes one of the show’s biggest draws, but it does not change her position atop this year’s field. (yahoo.com) Billboard and the AMAs’ official nominations release both list her as the leading nominee with eight nods. ### Which awards is Swift nominated for at this year’s show? (theamas.com) The AMAs’ official nominations list says Swift is nominated for Artist of the Year, Album of the Year for “The Life of a Showgirl,” Song of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia,” Best Music Video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” Song of the Summer for “Elizabeth Taylor,” Best Female Pop Artist, Best Pop Song for “The Fate of Ophelia,” and Best Pop Album for “The Life of a Showgirl.” (billboard.com) Billboard reported last month that Swift entered the 2026 race as the top nominee, ahead of Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter and sombr, who each received seven nominations. ### How large is Swift’s AMAs record already? The official AMAs release says Swift is already the winningest artist in the show’s history, with 40 trophies. (theamas.com) The same release said this year’s nominations gave her a chance to add to that total. Rolling Stone also reported when nominations were announced that Swift led the field with eight nominations as the awards returned for their 52nd edition. (billboard.com) ### What else is happening around Swift before the show? Forbes reported on May 23 that Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” had blocked Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” from reaching No. 1 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart for 12 weeks. (theamas.com) The same outlet had previously reported in March that the song was stalled at No. 2 behind Warren’s single. (rollingstone.com) Yahoo and E! separately matched People’s report that Swift would not attend the Las Vegas ceremony, adding no public explanation for the decision. ### Where and when can viewers watch the ceremony? The AMAs’ official watch page says the ceremony will be broadcast live on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, from Las Vegas. (forbes.com) The show starts at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+. Deadline reported earlier this week that BTS is set to make a special appearance at the show. (yahoo.com) ### What happens next for Swift at the AMAs? Monday, May 25, is the next marker for Swift’s 2026 awards run, with eight categories in play at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. CBS and Paramount+ are scheduled to carry the ceremony live beginning at 8 p.m. (theamas.com) ET, and the official AMAs site lists Queen Latifah as host. (deadline.com)