American Music Awards viewers were left feeling misled after behind-the-scenes footage surfaced showing that Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton’s performances were pre-recorded, despite being promoted during the broadcast as “live.” The clips quickly went viral, prompting Shelton to address the controversy and share his and Stefani’s side of the story.
Taking to X, Shelton explained that the decision was not theirs to make. “Just now seeing these stories about Gwen and I pretaping our performances for the AMA’s,” he wrote. “We came and performed when the show asked us to. Really nothing else to say.” He ended the post with a shrugging emoji.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/gwen-stefani-blake-shelton-amas-052725-f49e60145317425b95283a5287388ce7.jpg)
Many fans rushed to his defense in the replies, noting that pre-taped performances are common practice at major award shows. Others praised both artists for their performances regardless of when they were recorded and encouraged Shelton to ignore the backlash.
At the AMAs, Shelton performed his song “Stay Country or Die Tryin’,” while Stefani delivered a medley of her biggest hits. Audience members filmed the stage during both performances, revealing that the footage playing onscreen was pre-recorded while crew members prepared the set for upcoming live segments.
Despite the backlash, the performances themselves were filmed in front of a live audience. Fans in the comments pointed out that Shelton and Stefani recorded their sets on Saturday, with the show airing two days later on Monday, May 26. The cheering crowds seen in the footage supported that explanation.
The American Music Awards returned this year after a two-year hiatus, airing on CBS with Jennifer Lopez serving as host. The night also featured notable performances, including Janet Jackson’s first live appearance in seven years, as well as sets from Benson Boone, Lainey Wilson, Reneé Rapp, and others.
