American Music Awards 2025 branded 'worst show ever' after A-list stars abandon ceremony, desperate J.Lo kisses dancers and Kehlani launches political rant
Disappointed fans took to social media to complain about the lack of big names at the annual show, which was held at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Monday.
Nominees including Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Billie Eilish and Sabrina Carpenter were all absent from the event, and the guest list instead featured a slew of social media influencers.
The event was hosted by Jennifer Lopez, 55, who did her best to single-handedly bring the star power by performing a six-minute medley of 23 hits by the evening's nominees.
But the 55-year-old instead sparked criticism over a cringe-worthy make-out session with male and female dancers, with viewers calling the display 'desperate'.
Meanwhile singer Kehlani, 30, made waves with controversial remarks on the Israel-Palestine conflict, stating 'free Palenstine' during a red carpet interview.
And Swift, 35, in particular also caused a melt down among her fans when she snubbed the show, despite being nominated in six categories.
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After the AMA's concluded, furious fans took online to blast the show as a 'flop'.
Many also complained that not all categories were shown during the broadcast.
'AMAs were a FLOP. No a-list celebs, no tay wins, and it felt soooooo conservative and weird this year..... never watching that s**t again lol.'
'I'm sorry what??? That was a hot mess.'
'What in the world did I just watch? They didn't even announce some of the biggest awards! Hot mess.'
'American music awards but like…. Where were the musicians? All I saw were influencers and twitch streamers?' one fan wrote.
'American Music Awards? More like FLOP.'
'That was the worst absolute worst,' someone else chimed in.
'So yall decided not to announce on live tv the category that most than likely received the most votes of the entire night and the category that gave yall the most ratings?? See this is why I don't watch award shows anymore!'
'WHERE IS THE REST OF THE CATEGORIES???'
'you didn't give out awards to 95% of the nominated categories.'
'guys that sucked why so many performances and no awards??'
'Ummmmm so do you know you're an awards show and meant to give out awards? We are confused.'
'It should be second nature if people are blowing up and being murdered at mass rates, it should be no - it should be as easy as breathing to say, "Hey I don't really think this should be happening...' she continued, before hitting out at the United States' support for Israel. 'And we're funding it so we should stop,' Kehlani said, looking directly at the camera
Kehlani shares her stance on Gaza and Palestine: 'All I can say is, free Palestine.' pic.twitter.com/CjBzXzFSNn
— Variety (@Variety) May 26, 2025
After Lopez's shocking opening performance, fans quickly took to social media to discuss the act, which saw Lopez don a skintight nude catsuit with black patches and jewels.
'Jennifer Lopez has lost the plot,' one person wrote on X, with another asking, 'Why is Jennifer Lopez kissing everyone at the AMAs?'
Another shocked fan said, 'Just looked up from my phone and JENNIFER LOPEZ IS KISSING A GIRL?!?!'
Lopez took on hosting duties for this year's ceremony, which was held a decade after she first hosted in 2015.
Meanwhile R&B singer Kehlani made controversial comments on the red carpet, just weeks after New York City Mayor Eric Adams canceled her Central Park concert over similar statements.
The 30-year-old songstress was interviewed by Variety about her stance on the Israel-Palestine conflict ahead of the awards show, when she doubled down on her support for a Palestinian state.
'It shouldn't be a hard thing, it shouldn't be something I'm even looked at so massively for, it shouldn't be something I'm credited for,' the After Hours singer said.
'It should be second nature if people are blowing up and being murdered at mass rates, it should be no - it should be as easy as breathing to say, "Hey I don't really think this should be happening, this shouldn't be happening, maybe we should stop,"' she continued, before hitting out at the United States' support for Israel.
And we're funding it so we should stop,' Kehlani said, looking directly at the camera.
At that point, the interviewer asked whether other celebrities 'should be speaking out on the issue.'
'Yeah, I said it a bunch,' she said.
'I definitely think we have more power than we think and everything's stronger in numbers, and I think that that's something that hopefully people will understand at some point.'
Disappointed fans took to social media to question the star power at the show, with many lamenting the absence of major musicians and noting a prevalence of influencers instead
'But all I can say is "Free Palestine,"' she concluded.
The singer has previously faced backlash for her support amid the ongoing war in Gaza, with some claiming she has espoused antisemitic views.
Her music video 'Next 2 U' opens with the phrase 'long live the intifada' and features dancers waving Palestinian flags.
Intifada, an Arabic word for 'uprising' or 'resistance,' is seen by some as a call for violence against Jews.
During the show, singer SZA had all eyes on her at the event, with bedazzled pasties visible from under her dress. SZA took the stage twice, first for 'Saturn' winning Favorite R&B Song, then for Favorite Female R&B Artist.
Meanwhile Swift's fans were disappointed after the singer snubbed the event on Monday.
Some had even thought she would announce the release of her long awaited Reputation (Taylor's Version) album at the event.
Many were dismayed when she didn't show up on the red carpet, with one writing 'Taylor Swift arrives at #AMAS,' along with an empty backdrop from the event.
'WHERES TAYLOR SWIFT????' another comment with a crying emoji questioned.
Someone else jokingly shared a social media snap of Taylor snoozing in bed with the hashtag AMAS.
'Me realising taylor swift isn't even showing up to the #amas,' yet another disappointed fan wrote, alongside a clip of Regina George from Mean Girls screaming.
Another fan shared a clip of Swift laughing with the caption: 'Taylor Swift at home right now laughing at everyone thinking she'd turn up and announce Rep TV #TaylorSwift.'
Someone else quipped, 'TAYLOR SWIFT HAS ARRIVED AT THE 2025 AMAS RED CARPET #AMAS,' along with a photo of someone in a snake costume.
'Me waiting for Taylor Swift to show up at the AMAs,' another meme read.
Swift was nominated in six categories for her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Favorite Touring Artist, Collaboration of the Year, Favorite Female Pop Artist and Favorite Pop Album.
Besides her spicy choreography, Lopez wowed in a number of outfit changes throughout the night
Swift holds the record for most AMA wins with 40.
The event also featured performances from Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson, and Benson Boone.
Janet Jackson received the Icon Award during the festivities, while Rod Stewart was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award.
A number of stars presented the big wins, including comedians Nikki Glaser and Tiffany Haddish, actor Wayne Brady, model Cara Delevingne, pop star Ciara, streamer Kai Cenat, and singers Megan Moroney and Shaboozey.
This year marks the first time the awards show was shown on CBS, after being aired on ABC since 1974.
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