BTS to Make First Awards Show Appearance in Four Years at "The 52nd American Music Awards"
May 20, 2026 08:47AM ● By Kelsey Swire
Queen Latifah will host the star-studded annual special, which airs live on Memorial Day from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Tickets Available Now on AXS
CBS and Dick Clark Productions (DCP) announced that 11-time American Music Award winner BTS will make a special appearance at THE 52ND AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS (AMAs), Monday, May 25 (7:00 PM, CT) on the CBS Television Network and streaming on Paramount+*. This marks a homecoming for the pop royalty, who made their U.S. television performance debut at the 2017 American Music Awards, becoming the first Korean group to perform on the show. They have a chance to add to their trophy collection this year, with three nominations: Artist of the Year, Song of the Summer and Best Male K-Pop Artist.
The band’s lead single, “SWIM,” from their fifth studio album, ARIRANG, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, while the album itself claimed the #1 spot on the Billboard 200 immediately upon release, extending its top 10 streak to seven consecutive weeks. “SWIM” remained at #1 on the Billboard Global 200 for four weeks, with all 13 vocal tracks from the album charting on the tally for that same seven-week period. ARIRANG sets the record as the only album in history to chart all vocal tracks for seven consecutive weeks, marking the biggest debut of 2026 so far as a landmark album of its time.
The star-studded special will kick off summer with host Queen Latifah live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the largest venue in the show’s history, on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. The show will feature performances from Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Billy Idol, International Artist Award of Excellence recipient 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! Tickets for the star-studded must-see show are now available on AXS.
As one of music’s most anticipated nights of the year, THE 52ND AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS returns to CBS and Paramount+* to honor the most influential artists and songs of today alongside unforgettable performances and special moments in a multi-genre, cross-generational celebration of music.
Nominations for THE 52ND AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS were announced last month. Taylor Swift leads with eight nominations, followed by Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter and SOMBR with seven each. Fan voting is now open via VoteAMAs.com and the @AMAs Instagram profile in all awards categories. Voting closed on Friday, May 8 at 11:59:59 AM, PT, with the exception of Social Song of the Year and Tour of the Year, which will remain open through the first 30 minutes of the AMAs broadcast.
*Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on-demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live, but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.