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The American Music Awards celebrated 51 glorious years on Monday, May 26th, and boy was it a sight to see! Making a grand return after a two-year hiatus with historic wins, Billie Eilish, officially an undefeated queen, sweeps 7 awards across all nominated categories. Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' album continues to pull its weight with Favorite Female Country Artist and Favorite Country Album wins. And so many more unexpected wins...
Eminem won his first AMAs in 15 years for Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist and Favorite Hip-Hop Album for 'The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce).' And of course, you can't forget everyone's favorite duo, Lady Gaga and Brunos, who won Favorite Music Video and Collaboration of the Year for “Die With a Smile” as well as individual awards in Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist and Favorite Male Pop Artist!
Wins, looks, hits, and misses: a rundown of the major moments from the 2025 AMAs!
Biggest Wins
Billie Eilish comes out as the biggest winner of the night!
We'll say it again just to make sure it hits home. Nominated across 7 categories, Billie Eilish cleared the stage of all 7 awards! Album of the Year for Hit Me Hard and Soft; Song of the Year for Birds of a Feather; Favourite Touring Artist; Favourite Female Pop Artist; Favourite Pop Album; and Favourite Pop Song. She also reigned victorious in the ultimate category as Artist of the Year! Unable to attend the awards due to being on tour, Billie expressed her appreciation and joy at the colossal wins and added, “I wish I could be there tonight. I'm on tour, getting to see you all over the world."
Cowboy Carter's winning streak continues with the AMAs.
Although Beyoncé was also missing from attendance, the legendary performer snagged the Favorite Female Country Artist and Favorite Country Album awards for Cowboy Carter, marking this as the 4th major win for her first country album.
Gracie Abrams shocked the crowd by winning New Artist of the Year.
The young singer was another star not present at the ceremony and accepted her award with a pre-recorded thank you video.
THE Slim Shady isn't one for a quiet return. The elusive and brazen persona returned twenty-two years after taking home his first AMA in the same category.
This was also notably Eminem's first AMA wins in 15 years for Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist and Favorite Hip-Hop Album “The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)"
Coming into the night with 8 nominations, Post Malone also made his country debut count, winning Favorite Male Country Artist and Favorite Country Song for “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen.
Country fans might just be the biggest winners of the night with the many new stars joining their field.
Kendrick Lamar, a three-time AMA winner, came in hot with 10 nominations, the most this year, but ended the night with a single win for Favorite Hip-Hop Song for everyone's favorite track, "Not Like Us."
Surprising Snubs
Did you notice a missing figure in the crowd this year? AMA royalty, Taylor Swift, was missing from the award show, leaving fans and foes alike wondering what the grand scheme was.
While the pop star was nominated in six categories, she walked away with no wins and no announcement, despite her fans theorizing for weeks leading up to the event that she'd announce her latest album on the stage.
Besides the big names and big wins, some of the first-time nominees include Doechii, Jelly Roll, and Tommy Richman, among others.
Time to feast your eyes on the best looks of the night:
Ciara
Tiffany Haddish
Shaboozey
Reneé Rapp
Lainey Wilson
JLO made an epic return appearance as the host of the AMA for the first time in a decade, but the audience is drawn away from the performance because of one stunt.
Jennifer Lopez opened the evening with a dance medley of 23 of the biggest hits from the past year. However, the performance is not the talk of the town for JLO. In a now widely criticized move, the Bronx-born singer locked lips with a female background dancer on stage as part of her performance. Many are calling the move performative and an "attempt to stay relevant," as the star's highly publicized divorce with actor Ben Affleck is fresh in people's minf.
On the topic of iconic returns, here's one that didn't fall flat.
Janet Jackson, an 11-time American Music Award winner, received the Icon Award and performed on TV for the first time in 7 years!
That wraps up the major highlights of The American Music Awards ceremony of 2025. While there were many faces dearly missed, it was a major night for young artists and new icons. As always, it was a blast this year, and we can't wait to see what 2026 brings us!
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