Controversy Arises Over Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani's AMAs Performance, Prompting His Response
The 2025 American Music Awards drew both praise and criticism, with pre-taped performances from some artists, including Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani, being met with disappointment among viewers. During the telecast, which aired as part of the 2025 TV schedule, some audience members took to social media to express their frustration.
One fan, @alywinder, shared a viral TikTok video that showed her confusion during Shelton's pre-recorded performance of "Stay Country or Die Tryin'". Similarly, Stefani's pre-taped performances of "The Sweet Escape" and "Swallow My Tears" received similar backlash on the popular app.
Following the criticism, Shelton addressed the issue on social media, stating that he and Stefani performed as requested by the show. Despite the controversy, neither Shelton nor Stefani nor the AMAs' officials have provided a reasons for the pre-recorded performances.
In other news, Shelton and Taylor Sheridan are teaming up for a new singing competition series called The Road, which is set to debut on CBS this fall as part of the 2025 TV schedule. Both Shelton and Stefani have active music careers and continue to produce new tracks.
Shelton's brief response on social media seems to indicate that the decision to pre-record the performances was related to the show's production schedule rather than a personal choice by the artists. Whether this explanation will be acceptable to fans who were hoping to see the couple perform live is uncertain.
Shelton's Twitter post suggested that the pre-recorded performances at the 2025 American Music Awards were a result of the show's production schedule, but fans are still disappointed, questioning if they'll find satisfaction in the live performances of "The Road," the new singing competition series by Shelton and Sheridan, which features daily blends of entertainment, celebrities, and music. The frustration among viewers persists, as the reasons for pre-taped performances by Shelton and Stefani remain unclear.
