CBS and Dick Clark Productions announced that BTS will make a special appearance at the 52nd American Music Awards, set to air live on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2026, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Queen Latifah will host the star-studded event, which will be broadcast on CBS and stream on Paramount+ at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT. Tickets are available now on AXS.
The appearance marks a homecoming for BTS, who made their U.S. television performance debut at the 2017 American Music Awards, becoming the first Korean group to perform on the show. The group arrives at this year’s ceremony with three nominations: Artist of the Year, Song of the Summer, and Best Male K-Pop Artist. Their fifth studio album, ARIRANG, has delivered major chart success, with lead single “SWIM” debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and the album opening at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. “SWIM” also topped the Billboard Global 200 for four weeks, while all 13 vocal tracks from ARIRANG charted for eight straight weeks, setting a new record.
The 52nd AMAs will feature a wide-ranging lineup of performers, including Billy Idol, KAROL G, Hootie & the Blowfish, KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, The Pussycat Dolls + Busta Rhymes, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims, Teyana Taylor, Twenty One Pilots, and more. Darius Rucker will receive the Veterans Voice Award Presented by USAA’s Honor Through Action. The show will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, the largest venue in AMAs history, and will serve as a summer kickoff event.
The American Music Awards will also continue its fan-voted tradition, with Taylor Swift leading this year’s nominations with eight. Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter, and SOMBR each earned seven nominations. Fan voting has ended for all categories except Social Song of the Year and Tour of the Year, which will remain open through the first 30 minutes of the live broadcast through VoteAMAs.com and the AMAs Instagram account.
This year’s Memorial Day broadcast will also highlight veteran support initiatives in partnership with organizations including Blue Star Families, Fisher House Foundation, Gary Sinise Foundation, the USO, and others. The AMAs, created by Dick Clark and first presented in 1974, remains the world’s largest fan-voted award show and one of television’s most recognizable live music events.
