How Huge Music Stars Disappointed Fans At The 2022 AMAs
At the 2022 American Music Awards, there was no concern about artists making excessively long of acceptance speeches. Early into the ceremony, fans began noticing that some of their favorite faces didn't bother to show up, leading some to wonder why they even turned on the show.
Even some of the show's top-nominated artists, which included Bad Bunny and Beyoncé, according to Deadline, failed to make an appearance. There are many factors which could explain the low A-list attendance. Many award shows have fallen out of favor even with those they wish to honor. As Billboard recapped, artists like The Weeknd and Drake have called out the Grammys for corruption or bias. Although similar statements have not surfaced about the AMAs, that pair of rappers also skipped this latest celebration.
While some stars like Harry Styles get a pass for being on tour, fans still struggled to make sense of the ceremony's sudden unpopularity ... and they were sure to make their feelings known.
Fan-favorite artists were noticeably absent from the AMAs
The lack of attendees at the AMAs didn't just bring disappointment — it also brought spoilers. Each year, the most coveted award of the AMAs is Artist of the Year. It comes at the end of the ceremony and is typically met with high anticipation. However, one fan quickly noted that, of the six artists nominated for the prize, only Taylor Swift was in the crowd, making the winner fairly obvious.
Even some artists who won prizes had to designate someone else to accept it on their behalf. Kelly Rowland made waves for accepting Chris Brown's Favorite Male R&B Artist award and defending his legacy. Although seeing their favorite artists be verbally recognized is exciting enough for some fans, others felt as though the whole ceremony was awash.
"30 minutes into watching the #AMAs and so far no one is there to accept their award," one Twitter user lamented. "Y'all should've sent this in an email." Taylor Swift's appearance, at the very least, seemed to have paid off. The pop star took home a stunning six AMAs, per CNN, officially making her the most decorated artist in the award show's history. Go big or stay home, apparently.