Here’s the potential theory of why the 2025 AMAs didn’t televise most of the major awards

The American Music Awards, popularly known as the AMAs, have been an institution in the US since the 1970s – but returned in 2025 for the first time after a two year hiatus. What was obviously hoping to be a monumental return to form for the awards show and an important night in America’s pop culture calendar ended up being deemed widely a massive flop – with a lot of the celebs snubbing attending the show at all. Even those with multiple nominations in big categories, including mega stars like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter and Billie Eilish. One of the wildest parts of the 2025 AMAs though is everyone’s confusion on why the show didn’t televise the major awards getting announced – and this theory on why that was the case is VERY interesting.

‘They only televised, like, seven’

The #AMAs deciding not to televise 90% of the major categories because none of the nominees bothered to show up is kinda the most insane thing to happen in award show history pic.twitter.com/UknN2vPXy3

— ⋆⭒˚ᶠᵃⁿ she thinks her piss is wine ⋆⭒˚ (@grxndesenigma) May 27, 2025

A lot of people are theorising the reason the AMAs 2025 didn’t televise big awards getting handed out was because the winners weren’t there. Joining the celebrities above who didn’t turn up, other nominees like Eminem and Ariana Grande also didn’t come to the show. People on Twitter / X are theorising that the reason the broadcast didn’t show the major awards like Album of the Year which went to Billie Eilish for Hit Me Hard and Soft and Bruno Mars winning Favourite Male Artist was because the stars didn’t com to accept.

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“The AMAs deciding not to televise 90% of the major categories because none of the nominees bothered to show up is kinda the most insane thing to happen in award show history,” fumed one on Twitter. Another person said: “The worst ‘award show’ I’ve ever watched. Not announcing the biggest categories is such a scam.”

One called it a waste of time, tweeting “they skipped 28 categories. They have nine that have winners and only televised, like seven.”

They skipped 28 categories. They have 9 that have winners and they only televised like 7, what a waste of time lmao #AMAs

— lauren (demo) ⊬ (@doubtingdema) May 27, 2025

Obviously, not everyone can make awards shows all the time. Billie Eilish and Beyoncé for example are both travelling the world right now touring their acclaimed albums.

Some of the big nominees for the major categories included:

Artist of the Year

• Ariana Grande
• Billie Eilish – WINNER
• Chappell Roan
• Kendrick Lamar
• Morgan Wallen
• Post Malone
• Sabrina Carpenter
• SZA
• Taylor Swift
• Zach Bryan

Album of the Year

• Beyoncé – COWBOY CARTER
• Billie Eilish – HIT ME HARD AND SOFT – WINNER
• Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
• Charli xcx – BRAT
• Gracie Abrams – The Secret of Us
• Future & Metro Boomin – WE DON’T TRUST YOU
• Kendrick Lamar – GNX
• Post Malone – F-1 Trillion
• Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
• Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department

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Featured image by Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock