Before the holiday weekend is over, it’s time for the 2026 American Music Awards.

For the second year in a row, the annual music awards will air live from Las Vegas on Memorial Day. Like last year, the Veterans Voice Award will honor a musician for their contributions to helping veterans nationwide. Country crooner Zac Brown was the inaugural winner; tonight, Darius Rucker will receive that honor.

Additionally, Karol G will receive the International Artist Award of Excellence, while Billy Idol is honored for his lifetime achievement in music.

Taylor Swift leads all nominees tonight with eight, and 12 new categories were introduced this year, including Best Breakout Tour and Song of the Summer.

Here’s everything you need to know to tune in to the American Music Awards tonight without cable (for free, too, we might add).

American Music Awards 2026 time

The 2026 American Music Awards begin at 8 p.m. ET tonight, May 25.

How to watch and stream the 2026 AMAs for free:

To watch the AMAs for free, you’ll need a live TV streaming service with a free trial.

DIRECTV is our favorite service for watching live television for free — and its five-day free trial includes CBS among 90+ live channels. When the trial is over, you’ll pay as low as $59.99/month for one of DIRECTV’s premium streaming packages.

You can also watch the AMAs live on Paramount+ with the Premium Plan, which costs $13.99/month after a seven-day free trial that you can only take advantage of if you subscribe via Prime Video.

Who is hosting the AMAs tonight?

Queen Latifah will host the 52st AMAs; she first co-hosted the AMAs in 1995.

2026 AMAs nominees:

There will be 50 total AMAs given out this year; these are a few of the top prizes, but you can check out a full list here.

Artist of the Year:

• Bad Bunny
• Bruno Mars
• BTS
• Harry Styles
• Justin Bieber
• Kendrick Lamar
• Lady Gaga
• Morgan Wallen
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Taylor Swift

New Artist of the Year:

• Alex Warren
• Ella Langley
• Katseye
• Leon Thomas
• Olivia Dean
• Sombr

Album of the Year:

• Cardi B – “Am I the Drama?”
• Fuerza Regida – “111xpantia”
• Justin Bieber – “Swag”
• Lady Gaga – “Mayhem”
• Morgan Wallen – “I’m the Problem”
• Olivia Dean – “The Art of Loving”
• Playboi Carti – “Music”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Man’s Best Friend”
• Tate McRae – “So Close to What”
• Taylor Swift – “The Life of a Showgirl”

Song of the Year:

• Alex Warren – “Ordinary”
• Ella Langley – “Choosin’ Texas”
• Huntrix: Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami – “Golden”
• Kehlani – “Folded”
• Leon Thomas – “Mutt”
• Morgan Wallen – “I’m the Problem”
• Olivia Dean – “Man I Need”
• Sabrina Carpenter – “Manchild”
• Sombr – “Back to Friends”
• Taylor Swift – “The Fate of Ophelia”

2026 AMAs performers

In addition to special award winners Karol G, Billy Idol and Darius Rucker (with Hootie & the Blowfish), you can expect to see performances from Katseye, Twenty One Pilots, Teddy Swims, Keith Urban, Maluma, Riley Green, Sombr, Teyana Taylor, New Kids on the Block, the Pussycat Dolls and Busta Rhymes.

There’s also a star-studded lineup of presenters including music icons Paula Abdul and Busta Rhymes; comedians Matt Rife, Gabriel Iglesias and Nikki Glaser; Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu; “Hacks” stars Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs; “Giggly Squad” co-host Hannah Berner; former “RHOBH” star Lisa Rinna and more.

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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Streaming Reporter for the New York Post, Page Six, and Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with information on how to watch all of your favorite reality TV shows and movies on each streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, celebrities and pop culture. Prior to joining The Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews

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