AMAs 2026 airs May 25 in Las Vegas

Queen Latifah returned to the American Music Awards stage on Monday, May 25, as host of the 52nd ceremony from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. CBS and Dick Clark Productions said the show aired live at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and streamed on Paramount+, marking the AMAs’ Memorial Day broadcast and a move to what organizers called the largest venue in the show’s history. (pmc.com) The 2026 edition was built around a mix of current nominees, legacy acts and special honorees. Official AMAs listings said Billy Idol, Karol G, KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, New Kids on the Block, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims, Teyana Taylor and Twenty One Pilots were among the scheduled performers, while BTS was billed separately for a “special appearance.” (theamas.com) (paramountpressexpress.com) ### Why was Queen Latifah hosting this year’s show? Queen Latifah was announced as host on April 6 by CBS and Dick Clark Productions. The companies said the appearance came 30 years after her AMAs hosting debut, and Latifah said in the release that “there is no better place to celebrate than in Vegas.” Las Vegas gave the show a larger stage this year. (pmc.com) The official announcement said the MGM Grand Garden Arena would host the ceremony as the AMAs returned to CBS and Paramount+ for a live Memorial Day telecast. ### Which performers were officially on the lineup? The AMAs’ official “How to Watch” page listed Billy Idol, Karol G, Darius Rucker with Hootie & the Blowfish, KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, New Kids on the Block, The Pussycat Dolls with Busta Rhymes, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims, Teyana Taylor and Twenty One Pilots as performers. (theamas.com) An earlier AMAs release on May 7 had already confirmed KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims and Twenty One Pilots. BTS was not listed by the show as a performance act in the official release that announced its involvement. (pmc.com) CBS and Dick Clark Productions said on May 20 that the group would make a “special appearance” at the ceremony, its first award-show appearance in four years. ### What was Billy Idol’s role beyond performing? Billy Idol was set to receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony. The AMAs announced that honor in a separate release and said Idol would also perform during the broadcast. The AMAs’ official watch guide then folded Idol into the performer list as the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient. That made him one of the night’s featured legacy acts as well as an honoree. (theamas.com) ### Why was Karol G a focal point of the night? Karol G was set to receive the International Artist Award of Excellence and perform on the show. CBS and Dick Clark Productions said the award recognizes an artist whose music and cultural influence has resonated globally. (theamas.com) The same release said the honor was last awarded to Whitney Houston in 2009. (theamas.com) Previous recipients listed by the AMAs included Aerosmith, the Bee Gees, Beyoncé, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson and Rod Stewart. (theamas.com) ### What else framed the broadcast heading into airtime? Taylor Swift led the 2026 nominations with eight, according to the AMAs’ May nominations release, followed by Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter and SOMBR with seven each. The show describes itself as a fan-voted awards program, and the AMAs said voting for Social Song of the Year and Tour of the Year remained open through the first 30 minutes of the live broadcast. (paramountpressexpress.com) Monday’s broadcast began at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT from Las Vegas, with CBS and Paramount+ carrying the show and the AMAs site posting the official lineup and nomination lists. (pmc.com) (theamas.com) (paramountpressexpress.com)