Taraji P. Henson has some tricks up her sleeve when she hosts the 2020 American Music Awards on Sunday, Nov. 22.
“Let the people know that I will be bringing some celebrities live in the house to sit in the audience, because I’m a great host,” she explained to Billboard of her master plan to make up for having no live audience due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The Weeknd and Roddy Ricch both lead this year’s nominations with eight each, including artist of the year. Megan Thee Stallion comes in with the second-most nods at five. Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, Bad Bunny and DaBaby all secured four noms each.
And there are a couple of debut television performances lined up for one of music’s biggest nights: Five-time AMA winner Katy Perry will perform “Only Love” from her fifth album Smile for her first performance since she gave birth to her daughter Daisy Bloom in late August. BTS also has a dyna-nite locked and loaded for the ARMY with the worldwide debut broadcast of “Life Goes On,” the K-pop group’s first single from their brand new album BE. Dan + Shay, Lewis Capaldi and Machine Gun Kelly will all make their respective debut performances on the AMAs stage.
“Certainly now, music is a thing that unites us all. We need these music awards shows. We can’t go to concerts! Come on, we need something!” Henson said.
The 2020 AMAs will air on ABC at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 22, from Los Angeles’ Microsoft Theater. The American Music Awards are produced by dick clark productions, which is owned by MRC Entertainment, the parent company of Billboard.
Fans can tune into ABC on their television, the network’s app or their website with a TV provider login. Hulu with Live TV, AT&T TV Now, YouTube TV and other live TV streaming services also provide access to ABC.
