American Music Awards May 25: Queen Latifah host

Queen Latifah returns to the American Music Awards on Monday night as host of the 52nd ceremony, which airs live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on CBS and Paramount+. CBS and Dick Clark Productions said the show begins at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. (theamas.com) PT and marks 30 years since Latifah’s AMAs hosting debut in 1995. The network and producers are billing the event as the largest-venue edition of the show so far. (theamas.com) Karol G is one of the night’s central honorees as well as a scheduled performer. Dick Clark Productions and CBS said on May 13 that the Colombian star will receive the International Artist Award of Excellence, which the AMAs said was last awarded to Whitney Houston in 2009. (theamas.com) The producers said the prize recognizes artists whose music and cultural influence resonate globally. The ceremony is also positioned as a fan-voted show. The AMAs said nominees are determined using Billboard and Luminate data covering fan interactions including streaming, sales, radio airplay and tour grosses, while voting for most categories closed on May 8 and two categories remained open into the opening half-hour of the broadcast. (theamas.com) ### Why is Queen Latifah hosting this year’s show? Queen Latifah was announced as host on April 6 by CBS and Dick Clark Productions. In that announcement, Latifah said she was “so excited” to return to the AMAs stage, while Jay Penske, chief executive of Dick Clark Productions, called her “the perfect choice” to lead the broadcast. (theamas.com) The 1995 ceremony is the key piece of context. The AMAs said Latifah previously served as a co-host that year and has performed on the show since, giving this year’s booking a direct link to the program’s earlier network-TV era. (theamas.com) ### Which performers have been officially announced? KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims and Twenty One Pilots were part of the first performance slate announced on May 7. CBS and Dick Clark Productions said Hootie & the Blowfish were also booked, with KATSEYE set for the U.S. television debut of “PINKY UP.” (theamas.com) New Kids on the Block were later listed among performers in the AMAs’ official watch guide, alongside Billy Idol, Karol G, Darius Rucker with Hootie & the Blowfish, The Pussycat Dolls with Busta Rhymes, Teyana Taylor and others. Parade separately reported that Billy Idol and New Kids on the Block were set to perform on the May 25 broadcast. (theamas.com) BTS also appear in the AMAs’ pre-show promotion. The AMAs website said the group would make its first award-show appearance in four years, though the site preview highlighted the appearance separately from the formal performer list. ### What is Karol G being honored for? (theamas.com) Karol G’s award announcement described her as the first Latina artist to headline Coachella, cited more than 128 billion career streams and said her current “Viajando Por El Mundo Tropitour” sold more than 2 million tickets in four days. The producers said her 2025 album “Tropicoqueta” earned three AMA nominations this year, including best Latin album. (theamas.com) Whitney Houston is the benchmark the AMAs used in framing the prize. The AMAs said previous recipients of the International Artist Award of Excellence include Aerosmith, Bee Gees, Beyoncé, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson and Rod Stewart. (theamas.com) ### What other honors are on the schedule? Billy Idol will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at Monday’s ceremony, according to a May 14 announcement from CBS and Dick Clark Productions. The AMAs said Idol, a 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee, will also perform. (theamas.com) Darius Rucker will receive the Veterans Voice Award presented by USAA’s Honor Through Action, the AMAs said on May 19. The producers said the award recognizes his longtime commitment to people who served in the military. Monday’s broadcast begins at 8 p.m. (theamas.com) ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS and Paramount+, with tickets still listed through AXS and the AMAs’ official watch guide naming presenters including John Legend, Hilary Duff, Ludacris and Anthony Ramos. (theamas.com 1) (theamas.com 2) (theamas.com 3)