American Music Awards Are Back After Two Year Break, But at a New Time
The American Music Awards is returning after a two-year hiatus, but not everything will be the same.
The American Music Awards will air on Memorial Day, May 26. In addition to a new date, it is in a new city, on a new network.
The award show will be held in Las Vegas, with the exact location yet to be determined.
The program, which is set to air on Memorial Day moving forward, aims to celebrate popular music and artists while also honoring the country’s heroes.
“On Memorial Day, the AMAs pay special tribute to our veterans through authentic performances and unforgettable moments,” the official description states.
The last regularly scheduled broadcast of the event took place on November 22, 2022, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. It aired on ABC and was hosted by Wayne Brady.
The program announced that it would be taking a break as its renewal with ABC was still undecided. The Billboard Music Awards, another award event by Dick Clark Productions, took over the former AMA time slot. It was eventually picked up by CBS.
In 2024, CBS honored the 50-year anniversary, “American Music Awards 50-year Anniversary Special.” It reached approximately 13 million people and had 6.1 million viewers. This is a 53% increase from the 2022 award ceremony, becoming the largest year-to-year jump in award show history.
Raye performing James Brown's “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” at the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special. pic.twitter.com/AoxMsI294i
— RAYE Updates (@RayeUpdate) October 7, 2024
The one-off special featured some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Brad Paisley, Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, AJ McLean, Samuel L. Jackson, Jimmy Kimmel, Reba McEntire, Nelly, Green Day, and more.
The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1974. He built the award show specifically for ABC after they lost out on the deal to broadcast the Grammys.
The AMAs are the largest fan-voted award event in the world, and they plan on continuing to allow fans to vote for their favorite songs and artists.
The event will air on CBS and Paramount+ at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
