American Music Awards Will Return In 2025, 50th Anniversary Special To Air This Fall

The American Music Awards, which were last held in November 2022, shall return — in May 2025.

CBS and Dick Clark Productions set the twice-postponed awards show's 2025 return on Tuesday, as part of a larger announcement about a 50th anniversary special coming this fall.

The American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special will air Sunday, Oct. 6 at 8/7c — the original airdate for the next AMAs — and commemorate a half-century of iconic moments, unforgettable performances, and rich pop culture history across a two-hour broadcast.

The anniversary special will air concurrently on both coasts on CBS, as well as stream on Paramount+ (live for Paramount+ With Showtime subscribers, next day for Paramount+ Essential).

American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special promises to feature new performances, artist interviews, legendary special guests and never-before-seen footage from DCP's extensive archives, highlighting iconic moments that have defined the awards show and shaped pop culture.

The yet-to-be-announced performances will include "collaborations, debuts from today's hottest stars and appearances from AMAs legends."

Previously an ABC stalwart, the American Music Awards sat out 2023, with the Billboard Music Awards (also produced by DCP) moving from May to November of that year to fill the void (albeit with an online-only ceremony).

What would be the American Music Awards' final outing on ABC drew 3.5 million total viewers, down 12% from 2021 to mark an all-time audience low. In March 2024, it was announced that CBS had picked up the rights to air the AMAs.

Note: Dick Clark Productions is owned by a subsidiary of Penske Media Corporation, TVLine's parent company.