Billy Idol to Receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd American Music Awards and Ignite the Stage with First-Ever AMAs Performance

Queen Latifah Will Host The Star-Studded Annual Special, Which Airs Live on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25, 2026, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT on CBS and Paramount+

TICKETS AVAILABLE NOW ON AXS

Los Angeles, CA – May 14, 2026 – Today, CBS and Dick Clark Productions (DCP), the world’s largest owner and producer of televised live event entertainment programming, announced that rock legend and 2026 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee Billy Idol will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd American Music Awards (AMAs) in recognition of his incomparable career, body of work, and unparalleled contributions to music, honoring his lasting legacy and continued influence on generations of artists and fans. Idol’s distinctive career has impacted musicians and fans alike in the decades since he first emerged onto the scene. The punk icon will deliver a medley of some of his biggest hits, marking his first time on the AMAs stage since presenting in 2004 and his first AMAs performance ever. Previous recipients of the AMA’s Lifetime Achievement Award include Diana Ross and Rod Stewart.

The star-studded special will kick off summer with host Queen Latifah live from MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, the largest venue in the show’s history, on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. The show will air live coast to coast on CBS Television Network and Paramount+* at 8:00 PM ET / 5:00 PM PT, and feature performances from International Artist Award of Excellence recipient KAROL G, Hootie & the Blowfish, KATSEYE, Keith Urban, Maluma, Riley Green, SOMBR, Teddy Swims, Teyana Taylor, and Twenty One Pilots, with more to be announced soon. Tickets for the star-studded must-see show are now available on AXS.

“Billy Idol is a true rock legend whose influence has transcended generations and genres. From his groundbreaking music to his electrifying stage presence, Billy has left an indelible mark on popular culture and the music industry,” said executive producers Barry Adelman, EVP, Television, and Alexi Mazareas, SVP, Programming & Development, Dick Clark Productions. “We are thrilled to honor him with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 52nd American Music Awards and celebrate his legacy with what promises to be an unforgettable performance.”

For almost 50 years, Billy Idol has been one of the definitive faces and voices of rock’n’roll. Between 1977 and 1981, Idol released three albums with Generation X as their camera-ready frontman. In 1982, with guitarist Steve Stevens at his side, he embarked on a transatlantic/trans-genre solo career that integrated the bold and simple lines of punk and rock’n’roll decadence on songs like “Dancing With Myself,” “White Wedding,” “Rebel Yell,” “Eyes Without A Face,” “Cradle of Love” and more. Touring consistently around the world and showing no signs of slowing down, Idol released Dream Into It on Dark Horse Records in 2025, earning praise from fans and critics alike. In 2026, Idol released Billy Idol Should Be Dead, the definitive documentary about his life and career.

As one of music’s most anticipated nights of the year, the 52nd American Music Awards returns to CBS and Paramount+* to honor the most influential artists and songs of today alongside unforgettable performances and special moments in a multi-genre, cross-generational celebration of music.

Nominations for the 52nd American Music Awards were announced last month. Taylor Swift leads with eight nominations, followed by Morgan Wallen, Olivia Dean, Sabrina Carpenter, and SOMBR with seven each. Fan voting has concluded for all awards other than Social Song of the Year and Tour of the Year, which will remain open through the first 30 minutes of the AMAs broadcast. Fans can vote for these two awards via  VoteAMAs.com and the @AMAs Instagram profile.

Additional details, including more performers and presenters for the 52nd AMAs will be announced in the coming weeks.

This Memorial Day, the American Music Awards is proud to spotlight our nation’s heroes and help amplify the vital work being done in support of the veteran community, honoring the enduring spirit of service in partnership with leading Military and Veterans Service Organizations – Blue Star Families, Bob Woodruff Foundation, Congressional Medal of Honor Society, Easy Day Foundation, Fisher House Foundation, Gary Sinise Foundation, Invictus Games Foundation, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Semper Fi & America’s Fund, Team Rubicon, and the USO.  To learn more, visit TheAMAs.com/Salute.

About the American Music Awards:

• Celebrating the year’s most iconic music, the American Music Awards is the world’s largest fan-voted award show, honoring today’s most influential artists and their passionate fanbases.
• Created by legendary producer and visionary Dick Clark and first awarded in 1974, the American Music Awards is known for delivering half a century worth of iconic performances and enduring moments that have defined and shaped pop culture, as well as a history of introducing audiences to breakthrough artists.
• One of 2025’s most-watched television specials according to Nielsen, last year’s top-rated 51st American Music Awards reached over 10 million unique viewers across its CBS and Paramount+ premiere on Memorial Day, Monday, May 26, and encores on MTV, CMT, and BET. The CBS broadcast marked the show’s largest audience since 2019 with a +38% increase over its last live airing in 2022 on ABC.
• Airing for the first time on Memorial Day, the 2025 AMAs kicked off summer with host Jennifer Lopez, who returned to host a decade after her AMAs hosting debut in 2015. She opened the 51st American Music Awards in spectacular fashion, delivering a non-stop, breathtaking medley of 23 of the year’s biggest hits. Performances included ICON Award recipient Janet Jackson; Alex Warren, Becky G and Manuel Turizo, Benson Boone, Blake Shelton, Gloria Estefan, Gwen Stefani, Lainey Wilson, Reneé Rapp, and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Rod Stewart.
• The American Music Awards is produced by Dick Clark Productions.

For the latest news, exclusive content, and updates, follow the AMAs:

Website: TheAMAs.com

X: @AMAs

Instagram: @AMAs

TikTok: @AMAs

Facebook: @AMAs

Threads: @AMAs

YouTube: @TheAMAs

Hashtag: #AMAs

About Paramount, a Skydance Corporation
Paramount, a Skydance Corporation (Nasdaq: PSKY) is a leading, next‐generation global media and entertainment company, comprised of three business segments: Studios, Direct‐to‐Consumer, and TV Media. The Company’s portfolio unites legendary brands, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Television, CBS – America’s most‐watched broadcast network, CBS News, Nickelodeon, MTV, BET, Comedy Central, Showtime, Paramount+, Pluto TV, and Skydance’s Animation, Film, Television, Interactive/Games, and Sports divisions. For more information please visit www.paramount.com.

About Dick Clark Productions
Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest owner and producer of televised live event entertainment programming including “The Golden Globes,” the largest awards show in the world to celebrate the best of film, television and podcasting, “American Music Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve,” the No. 1 entertainment special in America, “Golden Eve,” “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Rising Stars of Country Music,” Emmy®-winning series “So You Think You Can Dance,” and “American Bandstand,” the iconic and groundbreaking cultural phenomenon that defined a generation. Dick Clark Productions also possesses one of the world’s most extensive and unique entertainment archive libraries with more than 60 years of award-winning shows, historic specials, performances, and legendary programming. Dick Clark Productions is owned by Penske Media Corporation. For more information, please visit DickClark.com

About MGM Grand Garden Arena
The MGM Grand Garden Arena is home to concerts, championship boxing and premier sporting and special events. The Arena offers comfortable seating for as many as 16,800 with excellent sightlines and state-of-the-art acoustics, lighting and sound. Prominent events to date have included world championship fights between Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Canelo Alvarez as well as Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao; and concerts by The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Bette Midler, George Strait, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, U2, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars, Coldplay, Alicia Keys, Jimmy Buffett and the Barbra Streisand Millennium Concert. The MGM Grand Garden Arena also has been home to annual events including the Academy of Country Music Awards, the Billboard Music Awards, the Latin GRAMMY Awards, iHeartRadio Music Festival, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Championship and Frozen Fury NHL pre-season games hosted by the Los Angeles Kings.

*Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on-demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live, but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.