American Music Awards set for May 25 Las Vegas

The 52nd American Music Awards are set for Monday, May 25, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, according to CBS, Dick Clark Productions and the show’s official site. Queen Latifah will host the ceremony, which airs live on CBS and streams on Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT. Taylor Swift enters the show as the top nominee with eight nominations, according to the official nominees list and entertainment outlets that published the field in April. Performers announced for the broadcast include Billy Idol and New Kids on the Block, alongside a broader lineup released by the show. ### When and where is the show? Monday, May 25, is the date set for the 2026 ceremony, and the venue is the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, according to the American Music Awards site and MGM Grand’s event listing. CBS and Dick Clark Productions said the telecast will run live coast-to-coast on Memorial Day. The 8 p.m. ET start time means a 5 p.m. PT live start in Las Vegas and across the West Coast, according to CBS coverage listings and entertainment reports published ahead of the show. Paramount+ is carrying the livestream alongside the CBS broadcast. ### Why is Queen Latifah hosting this year? Queen Latifah was announced as host by CBS and Dick Clark Productions in April. Billboard reported that the booking returns Latifah to the ceremony 31 years after she co-hosted the show in 1995 with Tom Jones and Lorrie Morgan. The host announcement placed Latifah at the center of a Memorial Day telecast that CBS and Dick Clark Productions described as the 52nd annual show. (theamas.com) The event organizers said tickets were made available through AXS after the host and first performer announcements. ### Who leads the nominations? Taylor Swift leads the 2026 nominees with eight, according to the official AMAs nominees page and multiple reports published when nominations were announced on April 14. (billboard.com) Her nominations include 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 and several pop categories. (theamas.com) Billboard reported that Swift, already the most awarded artist in AMAs history with 40 wins, could extend that record if she converts some of this year’s nominations. Other top nominees listed by entertainment outlets include Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter and sombr, each with seven nominations. ### Which performers have been announced? (theamas.com) Billy Idol and New Kids on the Block are among the performers scheduled for Monday night, according to Parade’s preview of the show. The official AMAs site separately announced a larger slate that includes Hootie & the Blowfish, KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims and Twenty One Pilots. MGM Grand’s event page also lists Karol G, Teyana Taylor and a special appearance by BTS. (billboard.com) Billboard’s performers-and-presenters roundup said sombr is both a performer and one of the year’s leading nominees. That overlap places one of the show’s most-nominated newer acts directly in the live lineup. ### How are winners decided? The American Music Awards describe themselves as a fan-voted show, and Parade’s preview said winners are determined entirely by fan votes. (parade.com) The official nominees page lists categories spanning artist, album, song, genre and newer additions such as Best Soundtrack and Song of the Summer. The 2026 field also includes new and returning categories that widen the ballot beyond the traditional artist and song races, according to the official nominees list. (billboard.com) That ballot will be resolved when the ceremony airs live on May 25 from Las Vegas on CBS and Paramount+. (theamas.com) (parade.com)