The Most Viral Moments From the American Music Awards 2026: From BTS' Return to Billy Idol Medley and More

The American Music Awards 2026 was a rollercoaster ride from start to finish.

On May 25, stars delivered a night of shocking moments and buzzworthy performances that dominated social media. From BTS' comeback to Billy Idol's headline-making finale, the event gave fans plenty to talk about.

OK! rounded up the 2026 AMAs' most viral moments. Scroll down to see them all.

While on the red carpet, Chrissy Teigen suffered a minor wardrobe mishap when her heel became tangled in the hem of her floor-length beaded orange gown. Fortunately, her husband, John Legend, was there to rescue her!

Although she lost a few of the beads, the former Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model brushed off the fashion hiccup.

For the first time in 31 years, Queen Latifah spearheaded the 2026 AMAs as the event's host.

"I gotta say, it feels so good to be back here hosting the AMAs after 31 years," she told the crowd. "You believe that? Some of BTS wasn't even born, that's crazy. That Black don't crack baby! And if you would have told me 31 years ago I'd be back on that stage, a stack of awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a career thats taken me from music to film, I probably would've looked at you and said, 'Who you calling a trailblazer?'"

As the show took place on Memorial Day, the rapper also shared a message in honor of the military veterans before introducing a pre-taped BTS performance of "Hooligan" from the K-pop group's Las Vegas concert the night before.

All seven members of BTS — RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — returned to the AMAs stage after they completed their mandatory military service in their home country.

"All of us are so happy to back together at the AMAs again," RM said onstage.

The Bangtan Boys also won all three awards for which they were nominated: Artist of the Year, Song of the Year (for "Swim") and Best Male K-pop Artist.

"Golden," the hit track from the Netflix animated film K-Pop Demon Hunters, won Song of the Year, one of the top honors at the awards ceremony.

EJAE and Rei Ami received the award. Their collaborator, Audrey Nuna, was absent from the event.

"Truly, like this movie, this song is fueled by the fans. You guys filled the Honmoon," said EJAE. "Thank you to Rei. Happy birthday."

The Foil rapper added, "Thank you to our friends, family and teams and our incredible K-Pop Demon Hunters family for a life-changing year."

The 2026 AMAs became a hub for nostalgic reunions, with The Pussycat Dolls members Nicole Scherzinger, Ashley Roberts and Kimberly Wyatt taking the stage as a group for the first time since 2006.

For their nostalgic appearance, the trio put on a high-energy medley of "Buttons," "When I Grow Up," "Club Song" and "Don't Cha."

Karol G left the arena spellbound with an ethereal performance of her hit song "Ivonny Bonita." She dominated the stage in a sparkling two-piece outfit, which she later elevated with a matching asymmetrical skirt she wore while accepting the International Artist Award of Excellence.

"I want to say, more than anything, this career has given me the most important thing in my life: purpose," she said in her acceptance speech. "I can say things in my songs that become a voice for a lot of people, a healing place, a safe place. I think my life is meaningful because of my music."

KATSEYE made their AMAs debut on May 25, performing their latest single, "Pinky Up." They appeared as a five-member group — made up of Daniela, Lara, Manon, Megan, Sophia and Yoonchae — amid member Manon's hiatus.

Up for three awards, they won New Artist of the Year and have a shoutout to BTS, who "inspired [them] to represent [their] culture on a global scale."

After making headlines with his red carpet outfit, Teddy Swims wowed the audience with a standout performance of his latest single, "Mr. Know It All."

Maluma brought the house down on Sunday night when he offered a heartfelt performance of "Tu Recuerdo," paying tribute to his home country as the Colombian flag draped his mic stand.

Idol ended the 2026 AMAs on a high note.

After accepting the Lifetime Achievement Award, the rock icon had the crowd singing along during a medley of "Eyes Without a Face" and "Dancing With Myself."

"When I started out in punk rock back in 1976, we thought it may only last about six months — let alone 50 years," he recalled. "We were doing it for the love. We were doing it for the love and because music was the only thing that gave us a sort of feeling of freedom, a sense of freedom."

He continued, "We believed in what we were doing and we thought maybe if we just dreamed into this life and gave it everything we had, it would give it all back to us in spades. And that's exactly what happened… So to any kid out there who loves rock 'n roll, or any music of any kind, as much as Leon [Thomas] and I do, if you're inspired to create that sense of freedom and pursue a life of art, all I can say is, pick an instrument, find out who you are and be it. Thank you for rock 'n roll. Thank you to everyone."