Whereas virtually three dozen fan-voted honors got out on the American Music Awards on Monday, solely a small handful made it to the two-hour dwell broadcast — the identical might be stated for the very best moments of the night. The Hollywood Reporter was there for the superstar run-ins, secret conversations and head-scratching sights earlier than and in the course of the ceremony in Sin Metropolis.
JLo’s Encore
After a gap medley the place she danced for six minutes to 23 hit songs and engaged in sultry smooches with each female and male dancers, Jennifer Lopez wrapped an evening of internet hosting on the 2025 American Music Awards by unveiling plans for a brand new Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Because the curtain fell, she introduced by way of Instagram that “Up All Evening Reside in Las Vegas” will open New Yr’s Eve week with 4 exhibits and an extra eight in March 2026. This long-rumored return is the follow-up to the “All I Have” residency at Planet Hollywood (which ran 2016–18). After the AMAs, JLo posted movies from the highest deck of a celebration bus as she cruised the Strip, with a fantastic view of her new Caesars Palace marquee.
MGK’s Huge Tease (and Early Exit)
Earlier than the present, Machine Gun Kelly, a last-minute addition to the AMA expertise roster, revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that he has huge information on the horizon. “I’ve probably the most thrilling album announcement— album title announcement — I’ve ever had in my profession. You will note why when it occurs; it’s the largest stamp of approval I’ve ever gotten and I actually don’t even know the way it occurred, however musically, I’ll proceed to stretch the thoughts in ways in which shall be painful for some and relieving for others and my followers simply should belief me,” says the artist who simply debuted the only “Cliché” final week, which elicited a love/hate response from social media. “I can normally at all times name when one thing’s gonna transfer the needle. I knew it will. I knew it will include a number of love and a number of hate,” he says of the response. “I don’t even assume that hate is rooted in something actual. It’s controversial, and I fucking like it.”
MGK was alleged to current with Heidi Klum however left proper after the purple carpet to be together with his two-month-old daughter, who had a fever. Earlier than his departure, MGK shared a secretive second with Jon Batiste on the press line, as the 2 whispered in one another’s ears for an prolonged time.
Challenge Runway Reveals
Klum walked the carpet with 19-year-old son Henry and mirrored on the upcoming twenty first season of Challenge Runway, which can debut in July with stylist Regulation Roach as a decide. “I don’t assume there has ever been as a lot bleeping on the present. He actually wears his coronary heart on his sleeve, however he additionally curses loads, so there’s gonna be a number of bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep, bleep,” Klum says. “Christian Siriano, he’s like Tim Gunn. I miss Tim as a result of I’ve been doing [the show] with him for 17 years.” And outfitted in what might’ve been a Challenge Runway creation, Rebecca Black, Katy Perry’s opener on the Lifetimes Tour, DJed the official AMA after social gathering. She understood the project and was dressed prepared for the “Wedding ceremony Capital of the World” in a marriage costume.
Carpet Chatter
Throughout a photograph, Kehlani embraced Sandra Denton from Salt-N-Pepa, calling her an icon. Her glam squad accompanied Denton. She advised THR that even Salt-N-Pepa received’t be inducted into the Rock Corridor of Fame till November, she has already given some thought to her speech. “There are specific issues I need to say with this one,” she says. “That is to acknowledge the music and what you’ve performed, your contributions, all of the grinding, the kicking down doorways and pushing by means of towards a number of odds. It’s the popularity to be right here right this moment, with a music style they stated wouldn’t final.” … Overheard, Megan Moroney stated of her fall onstage throughout this weekend’s Boston Calling Music Pageant, “That’s why my arms are sore.” … Zac Brown and jewellery designer Kendra Scott made their relationship purple carpet official.
Contained in the Present
Tiffany Haddish offered the night time’s first award to SZA for favourite feminine R&B artist. Her corset costume was so tight that she couldn’t stroll, so she bounced. … Benson Boone, who undoubtedly influenced the brigade of showgoers with mullets, amped up the gang, paced round a bit and and laid down on the stage whereas Wayne Brady and Jordan Chiles offered the favourite feminine latin artist award to Becky G. When the cameras got here on and “Mystical Magical,” cued up he threw in his signature backflip, touchdown in entrance of Heidi Klum and Nikki Glaser… Later within the night, Latin trailblazer Gloria Estefan celebrated the fortieth anniversary of “Conga” and her first efficiency on the AMAs after greater than 30 years. Becky G debuted the dwell model of her track “Que Haces” with Manuel Turizo. As they walked off stage, she jumped into his arms.
Veteran Tribute
This yr’s AMAs signified a significant leap in location and time of yr. All through the present’s 51-year historical past, the ceremony has historically taken place in November, January or February in Los Angeles. In 2025, the awards landed on Memorial Day at BleauLive Theater at Fontainebleau Las Vegas thanks partially to nonprofit companion Simple Day Basis, which gives strategic help for organizations addressing the distinct, vital wants of veterans. The AMAs paid tribute to U.S. troops and veterans in some ways. The primary group to stroll the purple carpet was dozens of Military and Air Power uniformed service members. In the course of the ceremony, the Veterans Voice Award, offered by Simple Day Basis, was given to Zac Brown for supporting the veteran group. Funds raised will help Zac’s Camp Southern Floor, alongside a community of nationwide Veteran service organizations.
“We had an concept for an enormous occasion to boost cash and consciousness for veterans. And it simply so occurred {that a} good friend of mine who owns the AMAs got here by and he had the same imaginative and prescient. We determined to deal with it collectively and make it occur,” stated Simple Day founder Frank Fertitta IV (Purple Rock Resorts), who together with co-founder Landon Gyulay, runs the group that helps veterans and their households as they transition again to civilian life, impressed by the Navy SEAL motto, “The one straightforward day was yesterday.” On-camera moments tied to Simple Day included a efficiency by Lainey Wilson, launched by Dan and Shay, who wore head-to-toe white and debuted the brand new track “Someplace over Laredo.”
Las Vegas Legends Present Out
Many Las Vegas headliners had been in attendance on the present, together with Sofi Tukker, who has an engagement at Wynn (one-half of the duo, Tucker Halpern, lives in Las Vegas); they had been simply off the aircraft from a weekend on the BottleRock Pageant in Napa and are subsequent headed to Montauk for Nylon’s Surf Lodge residency July 2 to five. The Hollywood Reporter talked to nominee and LIV Seashore resident David Guetta about his secret Saturday night time pop-up at Fontainebleau’s personal membership Poodle Room, the place the DJ performed a disco set. “I noticed Poodle Room and thought, that is probably the most lovely place in Vegas. It has that ’70s really feel, so I proposed to do a disco set. I used to be scared as a result of I haven’t performed disco ceaselessly and it was a lot enjoyable,” he says.
Former Las Vegas headliners Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani delivered units prerecorded within the theater and neither was current for the printed. Nonetheless, Shelton did seem down the road at his Ole Purple Las Vegas bar over the weekend. Shelton’s first AMA effort, “Keep Nation or Die Tryin’,” complemented Stefani’s journey down reminiscence lane to rejoice the twentieth anniversary of Love.Angel.Music.Child with “The Candy Escape” and “Hollaback Lady,” and “Swallow My Tears” from her newest album, Bouquet.
Present Resort World Theatre marquee-topper Janet Jackson channeled her Poetic Justice period in outsized denims with a medley of “Somebody to Name My Lover” and “All For You.” It marked her first tv efficiency in seven years as she accepted the Icon accolade. One other Las Vegas legend, Sir Rod Stewart, acquired the Lifetime Achievement Award, showing on the AMA’s stage for the primary time in over 20 years, as 5 of his children offered the award.
