In this image released on May 26, 2025, Jennifer Lopez rehearses for the 2025 American Music Awards at Fontainebleau Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ashley Osborn/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Penske Media via Getty Images
The 2025 American Music Awards ceremony in Las Vegas on Monday night was something of a disappointment for viewers, after many of the biggest stars didn’t turn up.
Several A-List Nominees Didn’t Turn Up To The AMAs
Nominees such as Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Beyoncé were nowhere to be seen—even Cara Delevingne, who was due to appear as one of the presenters, didn’t make an appearance.
Eilish won all seven of the categories she was nominated for, making her absence all the more striking.
Many fans expressed disappointment that so few awards actually made the live broadcast, and some wondered why they bothered to tune in at all.
Others found the messy chaos of the night to be its own form of entertainment.
Taylor Swift Didn’t Make The Big Announcement Swifties Were Expecting
Before the show, many Taylor Swift fans were convinced that the AMA awards would be the setting for Swift to officially announce her re-recording of “Reputation.”
This prediction was based on the fact that Swift’s online store recently added a menu reading “Apparel, Music, Accessories, Sale,” spelling out “AMAs” with each word’s first letter.
A few items in the store were on sale for 26% off, which some Swifties decoded as a signal meant to communicate May 26, the date of the AMAs.
None of this turned out to be true, as Swift didn’t even appear at the ceremony.
Swifties are used to decoding subtle clues from their favorite pop star, who has a history of leaving little easter eggs inside her albums, and seemingly, they read between the lines a little too hard.
Despite their disappointment, lots of Swifties saw the funny side of the situation.
TikTok Reveals Extra Celebrity Absences
On TikTok, fans who attended the event uncovered more missing celebrities, noting that Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani both appeared to perform onstage, but claimed that neither actually showed up to the AMAs.
One TikTok with 2.9 million views features fan-made footage of the non-performance, with the caption asking, “why would they say performing live when they aren’t even here??” and “we’ve been lied to.”
In another TikTok viewed 1.6 million times revealed that Blake Shelton was nowhere to be seen on the stage, posted with the caption, “When Blake Shelton is ‘performing’ at the AMA Awards but there is no Shelton in sight.”
Janet Jackson, Benson Boone And Rod Stewart Performed At The AMAs
Janet Jackson at the 2025 American Music Awards held at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas on May 26, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Penske Media via Getty Images
Despite the absence of many major nominees, viewers were thrilled to see Janet Jackson appear on stage, performing All for You and Someone to Call My Lover, marking her first televised performance in seven years.
After receiving the Icon Award, Jackson stated:
“I never considered myself an icon. I’ve always just wanted to share my love for music, dance, and singing.”
Benson Boone also performed his single Mystical Magical, but went home empty-handed.
Sir Rod Stewart appeared on stage to collect a lifetime achievement award, and was surprised to find his own children presenting him the award. Stewart followed up his win by performing his nostalgic hit, Forever Young.
Host Jennifer Lopez did her best to make up for the missing nominees, dancing to Sabrina Carpenter’s Espresso, Eilish’s Birds of a Feather, and Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em.
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