Viewers at home were witnessing some TV magic.
Last night, the American Music Awards were held at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas with Jennifer Lopez as the host. This was Lopez’s second time hosting the awards, with her first stint coming a decade ago in 2015. In theory, this awards show should be one of the best, given that it’s all fan-voted, but just like some many other awards shows, it was rather lackluster. And because it doesn’t have the prestige of the Grammys, most artists who are nominated don’t even bother to show up.
Given that there were limited country music-related categories, I was not planning on tuning in, but I did for a minute and quickly turned it off after Jennifer Lopez’s opening dance number to all of the pop songs that were hits over the year. Was it just me, or did we feel forced to watch a J-Lo concert because she canceled many of her tour dates due to poor ticket sales? Not the opening number that’s going to hook viewers.
@timeless.fashionn Jennifer Lopez closed her 2025 AMAs performance with an unforgettable finale. After a high-energy medley of 23 chart-topping hits, J.Lo delivered a heartfelt tribute to the nation’s veterans, acknowledging Memorial Day with a salute. Her performance not only showcased her incredible talent and versatility but also her deep appreciation for those who serve. At 55, Lopez proved she’s still the queen of the stage, seamlessly blending entertainment with meaningful moments #jenniferlopez #amas2025 #americanmusicawards ♬ оригинальный звук – timeless.fashionn
Needless to say, the show did not stay on long after this performance for me.
And in the country categories… the whole thing was a complete joke. Post Malone and Beyonce, two pop stars, won Favorite Male and Female Country Artist respectively, and other winners included the likes of Dan + Shay for Favorite Country Duo (what do we have to do to make this stop?) and Beyoncé winning Favorite Country Album with Cowboy Carter. Yikes…
However, one moment from the show is quickly going viral, and for the wrong reasons. And no, it’s not the look Shaboozey gave Megan Moroney after she said the Carter Family (which consisted of P. Carter, Sara Carter, and Maybelle Carter) invented country music.
@jadealexphoto i saw this on Twitter and criedddd😭😭 #amas #shaboozey #countrymusic #fyp #meganmaroney ♬ original sound – Jade Alex
During the evening, Gwen Stefani was announced as a live performer, drawing some fans to purchase a ticket to the awards show to see the “Hollaback Girl” in action. However, those fans were left disappointed when she never took the stage. No, she didn’t bail on her performance, but what fans and attendees saw was far from a live performance. It was pre-taped.
From our view at home, her performance of “Swallow My Tears” looked like an incredible production, with fans dancing to the music. Vocally, she was spot on.
@gwenstefani swallow my tears 🎤✨ gx 2025 @AMAs Performance @CBS @Paramount+ #amas ♬ original sound – Gwen Stefani
But it was just projected onto a screen for those at the Fontainebleau. Fans began posting footage from the awards show, noting they felt like they were lied to. They also quickly began leaving comments on Stefani’s post, calling her out for acting like it was a live performance.
“So sad to see it was prerecorded, I really thought you were singing live.”
“This was the worst award show I’ve ever seen. And I have seen some bad award shows.”
“I thought Grammys wasted my time, but this somehow surpassed.”
“Crazy how this wasn’t live.”
“The AMAs were straight propaganda. It was actually wild to see.”
“I should have turned it off the second I saw J-Lo was performing AND hosting.”
“This was Temu Grammy’s.”
“The AMAs were NOT it.”
“No, it was so bad, though. What an awkward event.”
“If this isn’t a flop, I don’t know what is.”
Of course, this isn’t unheard of in the awards show business, and is actually quite common, but nevertheless, fans were mad.
I even saw some Swifties, who were convinced she would announce another Taylor’s Version album last night, chiming in that they don’t blame Taylor for holding off, given how terrible of an awards show it was.
I think it’s a sign to hang it as an awards show when the live performers don’t even want to show up…
@alywinder LIKE WHATTT… why would they say performing live when they aren’t even here?? 😭 #gwenstefani #ama #livetv #dissapointme #taylorswift ♬ original sound – Aly Winder
