Queen Latifah Returns to Host 52nd Amas on CBS
The 52nd amas will air live on Monday, May 25, 2026, with Queen Latifah returning to host from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The show starts at 8:00 PM ET and 5:00 PM PT on CBS and Paramount+ in the United States, giving the ceremony a broadcast reach and streaming lane at the same time.
Queen Latifah at MGM Grand Garden Arena
Queen Latifah last served as co-host of the AMAs in 1995, so her return gives the 52nd show a direct link to the event’s past while keeping the focus on a live Memorial Day broadcast. MGM Grand Garden Arena is the largest venue in the show’s history, which pushes the production into a bigger room than the ceremony has used before.
That move matters for the audience because the show will play on CBS and also stream on Paramount+ for U.S. subscribers with the live feed of their local CBS affiliate through the Paramount+ Premium plan. For viewers, that means the same awards telecast sits inside both old-school network TV and a paid streaming package, a setup that keeps the AMAs visible across more viewing habits than a single-platform premiere would.
Award names on the bill
Billy Idol will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award, KAROL G will receive the International Artist Award of Excellence, and Darius Rucker will receive the Veterans Voice Award Presented by USAA’s Honor Through Action. Rucker will also perform with his Hootie & the Blowfish bandmates, which adds a live performance thread to an awards night already built around recognition.
Performers listed for the telecast include KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, New Kids on the Block, The Pussycat Dolls + Busta Rhymes, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims, Teyana Taylor, and Twenty One Pilots. That spread across pop, country, Latin, and rock keeps the lineup multi-genre rather than locked into one lane, which is the core programming logic behind a broadcast that markets itself across generations.
Presenters and tickets
Alysa Liu, Anthony Ramos, EJAE, Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, Hannah Berner, Hilary Duff, Jason Derulo, John Legend, Lisa Rinna, Ludacris, Mariah the Scientist, Matt Rife, Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs, Melanie Martinez, Nikki Glaser, Paula Abdul, REI AMI, and Russell Dickerson are among the presenters. The presenter list gives the show a wider entertainment footprint than the award winners alone, and it signals a night built to keep the telecast moving between announcements and performances.
Tickets are available on AXS, so the show is not just a broadcast event; it is a live public production with seats still being sold as the air date approaches. For anyone planning to watch in person or on TV, the practical setup is simple: buy through AXS, tune in at 8:00 PM ET, or stream through Paramount+ Premium if that is your viewing route.
