Snubs & Surprises at 2025 American Music Awards

There were some genuine surprises at the 2025 American Music Awards. Billie Eilish won in all seven categories in which she was nominated, including artist of the year, which had gone to fellow nominee Taylor Swift seven times between 2009 and 2022. The 51st AMAs were presented on Monday (May 26) at Fontainebleau Las Vegas in a fast-paced, two-hour ceremony hosted by Jennifer Lopez.

Eilish won new artist of the year at the AMAs six years ago. Eilish is the third AMA new artist of the year winner to go on to win the artist of the year prize, following Carrie Underwood and Ariana Grande. Underwood won the new artist prize in 2006 and the top artist award one year later. Grande won the new artist prize in 2013 and the top artist award in 2016.

This was the first regular American Music Awards broadcast in two-and-a-half years; the first that aired on CBS (the show aired on ABC from 1974-2022), and the first not to be held in the Los Angeles area.

Some of the awards went exactly as expected. Dan + Shay won favorite country group for the fifth consecutive time. Bad Bunny and Becky G kept up their long winning streaks in Latin categories. SZA won a pair of awards – favorite female R&B artist and favorite R&B song for “Saturn.” And Tyla won favorite Afrobeats artist.

But you wouldn’t have an awards show without snubs and surprises, and there were some big ones at this year’s AMAs. Take a look.

The American Music Awards are produced by Dick Clark Productions, which is owned by Penske Media Eldridge, a joint venture between Eldridge Industries and Billboard parent company Penske Media.