If you were expecting another record-breaking night for the Eras Tour mastermind, the Taylor Swift AMAs nominations 2025 story probably feels like a glitch in the Matrix. For nearly two decades, Taylor has treated the American Music Awards like her personal trophy room. She’s the winningest artist in the show's history with 40 wins. But 2025? Honestly, it was a total shocker.
Despite pulling in six massive nods, Taylor walked away with zero trophies. It was her first complete shutout at a major awards show in 18 years.
The nominations weren't small fries, either. We’re talking the heavy hitters: Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Pop Artist, and Album of the Year for The Tortured Poets Department. When the nominations dropped on April 23, 2025, Kendrick Lamar was leading the pack with ten, but everyone just assumed Taylor would do what she always does—sweep.
What Taylor Swift AMAs Nominations 2025 Actually Looked Like
Let’s look at the receipts. Taylor was up for six specific awards at the ceremony held on May 26, 2025, at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
She was nominated for:
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- Artist of the Year
- Favorite Female Pop Artist
- Favorite Touring Artist (A category she basically owns thanks to the Eras Tour)
- Album of the Year (The Tortured Poets Department)
- Favorite Pop Album (The Tortured Poets Department)
- Collaboration of the Year (Fortnight featuring Post Malone)
It looked like a locked-in list. Most critics figured she’d at least snag Favorite Touring Artist or Favorite Pop Album. I mean, TTPD was a cultural earthquake. But the night didn't go as planned. Billie Eilish became the evening’s juggernaut, winning all seven of her nominations and effectively "blocking" Taylor in almost every category they shared.
The Billie Eilish Sweep
Billie didn't just win; she dominated. She took home Artist of the Year, Favorite Female Pop Artist, and Favorite Touring Artist. It’s wild to think about Taylor losing a touring award during the final leg of a billion-dollar tour, but Billie’s Hit Me Hard and Soft era had a specific kind of momentum that captured the fan-voted spirit of the AMAs this year.
Even the collaboration category was a toss-up that didn't land in Taylor’s favor. Fortnight lost to Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ massive ballad Die With A Smile. It’s a reminder that even for someone with 40 AMAs on her shelf, nothing is ever guaranteed.
The Reputation (Taylor’s Version) Theory That Never Happened
One reason the Taylor Swift AMAs nominations 2025 were trending so hard before the show was the "clowning." If you're a Swiftie, you know the drill. Fans were convinced she’d show up to the Las Vegas ceremony to finally announce Reputation (Taylor’s Version).
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The evidence seemed solid. She had recently teased a snippet of Look What You Made Me Do (Taylor’s Version) in an episode of The Handmaid’s Tale. The timing felt perfect. But Taylor didn't even attend the show. She stayed home, skipped the red carpet, and let the night play out without her.
This absence sparked a lot of conversation about the "value perception" of the AMAs. Some industry experts, like those at Red Banyan, pointed out that when stars like Taylor, Billie, and Chappell Roan skip the physical ceremony, it signals a shift in how these awards are viewed. The 2025 show was the first to air on CBS and stream on Paramount+, and while host Jennifer Lopez did her best, the lack of "Big Three" star power in the building was definitely felt.
Why the Shutout Happened
How does the most successful artist on the planet go 0-for-6? It's kind of a mix of things:
- Voting Fatigue: Swifties have been voting in overdrive for years. With the Eras Tour coming to an end and multiple album cycles overlapping, maybe the fan-voting engine just needed a breather.
- Competition: 2025 was the year of the "New Guard." Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and Billie Eilish had massive, fresh momentum.
- The "Absentee" Factor: Sometimes, fan-voted shows lean toward the artists who are actively campaigning or appearing. Since Taylor was effectively on a "social media break" and didn't attend, some of that casual fan-voting might have drifted elsewhere.
What’s Next for Taylor and the AMAs?
Don't feel too bad for her. Even with the 2025 shutout, Taylor still holds the record for the most wins ever. She’s not losing her crown anytime soon. Plus, the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards nominations are already looking much better for her, with her name topping several lists.
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If you’re looking to track her next move, keep an eye on the re-recording schedule. The lack of an AMAs announcement just means the Reputation (or Taylor Swift debut) reveal is still looming in the shadows.
Actionable Insights for Fans:
- Don't rely on award show appearances for announcements: Taylor has proven she’d rather announce things on her own terms (like at her own shows or via Instagram) than give a network the "exclusive."
- Watch the 2026 circuit: The "snub" narratives usually fuel a massive comeback in the next voting cycle. Expect Swifties to be out in full force for the 2026 AMAs.
- Check the stats: While she didn't win this year, The Tortured Poets Department remains one of the highest-selling albums of the decade, proving that trophies aren't the only metric of success.
The era of 2025 might have been a quiet one for Taylor at the American Music Awards, but in the world of Swift, silence is usually just the setup for a very loud comeback.