Queen Latifah held court at the MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Monday night as host of the 2026 American Music Awards. Wearing a white feather ensemble, the “UNITY” rapper’s actress, who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this year, kicked off the show by giving BTS a pre-recorded performance from the K-pop group’s concert the night before.
BTS’ boys – Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jung Kook – rocked the all-black leather as they performed a live version of “Hooligan” surrounded by a flock of ninjas and fireworks.
Moments later, Latifa returned to the stage dressed from head to toe in red and put her skills as a presenter to use, saying: “The energy is crazy here! Make some noise!” She continued to highlight her many professional accomplishments, including her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She also encouraged the public to donate to several military organizations to support Memorial Day.
From there, she pointed out nominees like Riley Greene, Soomper, and Billy Idol, who is set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award later in the evening. Latifah later returned from the audience, where she saw John Resnick, frontman of the Goo Goo Dolls, and the two briefly dueted to the tune of the group’s song “Iris,” nominated for best throwback song this year, with the crowd joining in.
Taylor Swift leads with eight nominations, followed by Morgan Wallen, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Deen and Sombre with seven nominations each.
The American Music Awards were created by Dick Clark Productions. DCP is owned by Penske Media Corporation, Hollywood ReporterParent company, in a subsidiary joint venture between Penske Media and Eldridge.
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