Any award show where Taylor Swift is nominated and rumored to attend comes with high expectations from her loyal Swifties. The 2025 American Music Awards ramped up the anticipation by several more notches. Fans weren't only hoping to see Swift walk the May 26 red carpet in honor of her six nominations, including Artist of the Year and Favorite Touring Artist. They speculated—by analyzing everything from merchandise in her online store to the date on the calendar—that Swift would finally announce a release date for Reputation (Taylor's Version), a re-recording of her sixth studio album.
By the end of the red carpet, viewers knew Swift had not jetted from her recent Florida date to the Fountainebleu Las Vegas. Despite rampant online theorizing that Swift would attend the ceremony in-person, she didn't show up at the 2025 American Music Awards alongside its host, Jennifer Lopez, and guests like former Eras Tour opener Benson Boone.
Hopes for a virtual appearance were also dashed by the end of the broadcast. Swift didn't win any of the six awards she was nominated for—which took a pre-taped speech, corresponding outfit, and potential Easter eggs off the table.
Attendance was always up in the air for Swift, who has only been present at two major events in 2025: the Grammy Awards (where she wore Vivienne Westwood) and the Super Bowl (where she wore Saint Laurent). Virtual acceptance speeches are becoming increasingly common for the singer, even when she had several trophies to accept. At the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, for example, Swift beamed in to thank her fans for the evening's Tour of the Century win while wearing a Miu Miu plaid skirt and a crewneck sweater. Weeks earlier, at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards, Swift also declined to attend IRL and instead accepted her trophies from home in another cozy knit.
Taylor Swift last reigned over the American Music Awards in 2022. That year, she toasted the recent release of Midnights—and several new trophies in its honor— with a metallic jumpsuit by The Blonds. Many of Swift's Midnights-era outfits had a '70s-inspired bent, with hazy shades of gold, orange, and purple featured in her music videos and promotional art. Her studded jumpsuit reinterpreted that look through a glitzy (and award-worthy) lens. A deep side part with brushed-out curls, extra-large hoop earrings, and strappy Giuseppe Zanotti sandals furthered the disco-appropriate outfit.
Prior to the 2025 American Music Awards, Swift had attended the fan-voted ceremony ten times over the course of her career. Her first appearance came in 2007, when she was still primarily singing country songs with an acoustic guitar. Her outfit for the debut AMA outing matched the tone of her twangy early singles like "Our Song" and "Tim McGraw": a studded Catherine Malandrino black dress and coordinating black cowboy boots.
Over the following years, as Swift transitioned from country to pop music, her American Music Awards red carpet style similarly evolved. The Fearless, Speak Now and Red eras came with twinkling golden gowns by the likes of Reem Acra and Zuhair Murad: these were soft and sweet, with high necklines and swirling sequin embroidery. By the time Swift released 1989, she was choosing cut-out Michael Kors dresses to reflect her grown-up sound.
She took her biggest American Music Awards break to date between the 2014 and 2018 ceremonies. By the time she returned, she had released Reputation and, unbeknownst to fans, was filming her documentary Miss Americana. The eventual film captured Swift at the 2018 event wearing head-to-toe Balmain, featuring a mirrored long-sleeve mini dress and coordinating cap-toed boots.
The most memorable Taylor Swift American Music Awards appearance came the following year, when she took home the Artist of the Decade award. She chose that moment to salute a meaningful project: the re-recording of her first six studio albums. After walking the red carpet in a sparkling green dress by Julien Macdonald, she took the stage to sing "The Man" from Lover in a white button-up shirt printed with the names of her "stolen" albums. Later, she changed into a golden beaded bodysuit and a pink cape to perform more singles from the album.
Swift is the all-time record holder for American Music Awards, with 40 trophies to her name before the May 26 ceremony. Alas, her count of red carpet outfits—and wins—isn't rising this time around. As for Reputation (Taylor's Version)? Swifties will just have to keep scanning for another potential announcement date.
This is a developing story.
