The 52nd American Music Awards, hosted by Queen Latifah, will feature performances from a blend of today’s biggest stars and legendary artists. The ceremony is scheduled to air live nationwide on Monday (May 25) at 8:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 p.m. PT. For the second consecutive year, the event will broadcast on CBS and stream on Paramount+ in the United States. The show will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Among the performers confirmed for the ceremony are five artists who were nominated at the 2026 Grammy Awards — Karol G, who will also receive the international artist award of excellence, KATSEYE, sombr, Teddy Swims, and Teyana Taylor. Taylor was also nominated for an Oscar in 2026.
Veteran acts set to appear at the event include Billy Idol, who will be honoured with a lifetime achievement award, along with Hootie & the Blowfish and New Kids on the Block. Additionally, The Pussycat Dolls and Busta Rhymes are expected to reunite for a performance of their 2005 hit “Don’t Cha.” Keith Urban is also expected to perform a track from his upcoming album Flow State, which features covers of classic “yacht rock” songs from the 1970s and 1980s.
The combination of classic and contemporary artists has long been a signature element of the AMAs. In 1995, the last time Queen Latifah hosted the ceremony — alongside Tom Jones and country singer Lorrie Morgan — the lineup featured a 10th anniversary tribute to “We Are the World,” a 40th anniversary celebration of Little Richard’s “Tutti Frutti,” which included an appearance by The Go-Go’s, a performance of Led Zeppelin’s 1972 classic “Black Dog” by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and a hip-hop-inspired rendition of Rodgers & Hart’s 1937 standard “My Funny Valentine” by Latifah herself.
The AMAs have also revealed this year’s presenters, including EJAE, who won both an Oscar and Grammy in 2026 for co-writing HUNTR/X’s “Golden”; Paula Abdul, who famously opened the 1990 AMAs with “The Way That You Love Me”; Hacks stars Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs; and Nikki Glaser, who is scheduled to host the Golden Globes for the third consecutive year next January.
The ceremony will also feature a “special appearance” by BTS, coming off one of their biggest recent successes with “Swim,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Besides performing during the show, sombr is also among the top nominees this year with seven nominations. Taylor Swift leads all nominees with eight nods for the 52nd American Music Awards, while Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, and Sabrina Carpenter each earned seven nominations.
In addition to performing alongside Hootie & the Blowfish, Darius Rucker will receive the Veterans Voice Award Presented by USAA’s Honor Through Action. The honour recognises artists who use their influence to create meaningful impact for military veterans. Last year’s award went to Zac Brown.
The American Music Awards remains the world’s largest fan-voted awards show. Nominees are determined through fan engagement metrics such as streaming numbers, album and song sales, radio airplay, and tour revenue. Billboard and Luminate track these metrics during the eligibility period running from March 21, 2025, through March 26, 2026.
Fan voting has officially closed for all categories except social song of the year and tour of the year, which will stay open during the first 30 minutes of the live broadcast. Fans can continue voting for those categories through VoteAMAs.com and the @AMAs Instagram profile.
Here is the complete list of performers and presenters for the 2026 American Music Awards.
The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture involving Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.
Billboard’s livestream coverage will be hosted by Tetris Kelly and Chelley Bissainthe and will stream on Billboard.com through an embedded YouTube broadcast, as well as on YouTube, X, and Billboard TV, which is available via Amazon Fire and Samsung TV+.
CBS’s red carpet livestream will be hosted by Kalyna Astrinos and Grae Drake from 4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. PT. It will also air across selected affiliates and digital platforms nationwide while streaming on Paramount+.
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