AMAs accused of muting Taylor Swift cheers during show
Taylor Swift fans are accusing the American Music Awards (AMAs) of muting the singer's cheers during Monday's show.
Newsweek reached out to Penske Media Corporation, the company behind the AMAs, via email for comment on Tuesday.
The Context
The AMAs took place at the luxury resort Fontainebleau Las Vegas, with Jennifer Lopez hosting the event for the first time in a decade. Kendrick Lamar dominated the nominations with 10 nods, though only took home one award for Favorite Hip-Hop Song. Billie Eilish won in all seven categories she was nominated, but Swift—who was up for six awards—didn't win any.
The billionaire pop star, 35, was nominated for: Artist of the Year, Album of the Year, Collaboration of the Year (with Post Malone), Favorite Touring Artist, Favorite Female Pop Artist and Favorite Pop Album. She did not attend the ceremony.
What To Know
On Tuesday, social media account tscrazier took to X, formerly Twitter, to share a viral video from the AMAs of the Artist of the Year announcement.
"AMAs muting the cheers when Taylor was announced was so nasty and disrespectful," she wrote. "this is how you treat your most awarded AMA artist??"
At the time of publication, the clip had racked up more than 281,500 views.
In a follow-up clip from Swift fan svviftlet, which showed a different angle, tscrazier wrote, "she was cheered for LOUDLY btw."
Swifties—the nickname given to Swift's fans—were hoping for a big announcement during the AMAs. In recent weeks, fans pointed out what they thought were clues of a new album.
The speculation began when they noticed Swift's online store spelled out "AMAs" with the first letters of the words: Apparel, Music, Accessories and Sale. There were also 12 items for sale on her website at 26 percent off. Per Swifties, those numbers were noteworthy, as the Grammy Award winner's next album will be her 12th, and the AMAs were on May 26.
Fuel was later added to the rumor when "Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor's Version)" was featured in a recent episode of The Handmaid's Tale. That being said, the tune had previously debuted in 2023's Wilderness.
What People Are Saying
Swift's fans vented their frustrations with the AMAs on X.
X user hayleytv13 wrote in a comment with 273,100 views and more than 7,800 likes: "Why does it feel like something happened? They muted the fans during her part, they didn't include her in the mashup and she didn't win one award or have any acknowledgment, not even Taylor nation showed up. WHAT?!??? I'm confused."
taybehere said in a note with 62,600 views and 2,500 likes: "A side-by-side comparison of how the audience actually reacted vs. what the AMAs showed. They muted the cheers. if this doesn't prove that the whole thing is completely rigged, then idk what to tell you."
chartstswift added in a message with 111,100 views and 5,300 likes: "If the @AMAs muting the crowd cheering for Taylor during the category announcements isn't proof that these wins were heavily manipulated, I don't know what is."
repvtaylor shared: "The AMAs really muted when people cheered for Taylor, this says everything we need to know."
What Happens Next
Swift has largely been staying out of the spotlight following her record-breaking Eras Tour, though she was recently seen on a date with her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. However, Kelce—who is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs—will resume his regular NFL season in September, which means Swifties may soon catch a glimpse of the "Cruel Summer" singer in the crowd cheering him on.
