Blake Shelton Speaks Out About Pre-Recorded AMA Performance Backlash

Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani have faced backlash after fans learned that their performances at the 2025 American Music Awards (AMAs) were indeed pre-recorded, even though they were labeled as live. Fans were disenchanted after they found out that the couple would not be performing live as they were supposed to.

Shelton took the stage — albeit virtually — with his latest single, "Stay Country or Die Tryin'," while Stefani delivered a nostalgic medley marking the 20th anniversary of her 2005 AMA win. Her set included hits like "Sweet Escape" and "Hollaback Girl." However, behind-the-scenes footage circulated shortly after the show aired, revealing that neither artist was present during the live broadcast despite being introduced as if they were.

The backlash was swift on social media, with one TikTok user expressing her disappointment. Questions were raised regarding the authenticity of the performances, adding to the disappointment and hurt feelings of spectators who believed the presentation had conned them.

In response to the criticism, Shelton took to X (formerly Twitter) to state that he and Stefani performed when the show asked.

In the wake of the disagreement over the performances, many of the acts spoke up to defend them by acknowledging the vocal and production quality of the performances. Defenders also noted that there's a lot of pre-taped content at an awards show of this magnitude. This is because there are a lot of moving pieces when it comes to stage sets and much more elaborate costume changes within a much tighter time frame.

Still, fans noted their disappointment in discovering the couple was not actually in attendance. You may question how many other segments of the many performances at the 2025 AMAs had been recorded in advance. Not knowing creates speculation that many elements may have been filmed in advance for the sake of successful logistics.

The incident has sparked discussions about live events and the level of transparency required by the public in the production of live events, especially when audiences expect "live" performances in an era of backstage digital access.