My Back-Row Seat to the 2025 AMA Circus

Rod Stewart Drops an F-Bomb and Other Sin City Shenanigans!

Okay, folks… I've covered my share of award shows, but nothing—and I mean NOTHING—prepared me for the raucous chaos that was the 2025 American Music Awards at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas. A week later, I'm still processing what I witnessed, and apparently so is the rest of America because as of this morning, that Shaboozey side-eye moment is STILL trending on TMZ. We'll get to that awkwardness in a minute.

I wore my ZOSO necklace to the event, but no one noticed (or they were just dazed and confused!)

Purple Carpet Chaos and My Celebrity Speed-Dating Session

The purple carpet was its own entertainment special, starting with Heidi Klum attempting to pants Benson Boone in what can only be described as the world's most expensive game of tag. Her subsequent tumble over her own gown proved that even supermodels can't defeat the laws of physics and fabric engineering.

Between snapping pics with my iPhone and wrangling my recorder, I managed to catch up with hip-hop royalty Pepa, who was still glowing from Salt-N-Pepa's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. "I'm still pushing it good!" she told me with that signature sass, describing her outfit as "The Shoop." Meanwhile, Gloria Estefan whooshed past us like a crimson missile—legends have tight schedules, apparently.

Pics by yours truly… no, I didn’t manage to get anyone with their eyes open!

Kehlani graciously handled her loss to SZA while teasing new music, telling me, "People shouldn't be confined to genres—you should be able to do whatever you want." Rebecca Black showed up in full "sailor bride" regalia (her dress would be called "Chapel of Love" if it were a song, she informed me), and Becky G was still buzzing from her Favorite Female Latin Artist win, promising "genreless" music that could mean anything in 2025.

J-Lo's Cardio Session Disguised as a Musical Number

Host Jennifer Lopez decided we all needed fitness inspiration by cramming 23 hit songs into six minutes. None of them were actually hers, mind you, but who's counting? It was like watching a human jukebox on a double espresso, complete with strategic smooches for both male and female backup dancers. Tiffany Haddish, bless her, provided the evening's best commentary with "Save a dancer for me, damn!"

Is J-Lo prepping for her Vegas residency at Caesars or training for some sort of musical Olympics? Either way, my Apple Watch would have been screaming at me to close my rings if I attempted that workout.

When Rod Met His Kids (And I Nearly Choked on My Complimentary Press Snacks)

In the 1960s, he was Rod the Mod. Then, in his disco era, he was known as Rod the Bod. But now, at the age of 80, CBS censors are probably thinking "Rod, omigod!" after, in true rebel rocker fashion, Rod Stewart let an F-bomb slip while accepting his Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sir Rod Stewart—yes, the man who gave us "Maggie May" and basically soundtracked my entire early '70s obsession—is standing there looking all Vegasfied-dignified in his sparkly jacket. Then BAM! Five of his eight children storm the stage. The man who has sailed through five decades of rock stardom just completely lost it. "I'm so fucking overwhelmed that you're here. Jesus Christ!" he declared, giving CBS censors their cardio workout for the evening. Thankfully, someone at the network was paying attention during the time delay, because that particular moment of paternal pride got the quick editorial axe. He quickly recovered with jokes about his prolific family planning ("I've got eight altogether... I didn't have a television. That's a little joke") before calling his beautiful children "ugly" with the kind of paternal roasting that only a rock legend can pull off.

Photo © Denise Truscello

Here's the thing, though—this was my first time seeing Rod live, and I got chills watching him up there. I was just a tot when that cheesy bow-tied music video for "Tonight's the Night" debuted on the old Xenith TV, and "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" was the song every adult seemed to be humming. So, I know (and have lived) my Rod Stewart history.

I should mention I was sitting way up in the nosebleeds, courtesy of my press credentials (thanks, editors!), but honestly, I was just happy to be there. The woman next to me casually mentioned she paid $850 for her ticket, and I nearly fell out of my cheap seat. Eight hundred and fifty dollars! I mean, it’s a cool show and all, but that's rent money, people. Though watching him close the event with "Forever Young"—Bob Dylan's song that everyone thinks belongs to Rod—I could almost see why someone would mortgage their firstborn for the experience.

Billie Eilish: Winning From Her European Tour Bus

In peak 2025 fashion, Billie Eilish dominated the night without actually showing up, snagging seven fan-voted awards including Artist of the Year while gallivanting around Europe. Her video acceptance was too real (she could’ve at least put on a little blush): "This is so crazy. I feel speechless. I wish I could be there tonight." Finally, someone who remembered to thank the fans instead of their meditation coach and crystal healer.

Meanwhile, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Eminem, and basically every other A-lister were presumably watching from their respective couches in matching pajama sets.

The Side-Eye Heard 'Round the World

Okay, THIS is the moment that's still making the rounds on social media a full week later. During the Country Duo presentation, Megan Moroney declared that the Carter Family "invented" country music. The audible chuckle and epic side-eye that Shaboozey delivered could have powered the Fontainebleau’s neon sign. I'm talking nuclear-level shade here, people. TMZ is STILL talking about it this morning, and honestly, I don't blame them. That was some premium, unfiltered reaction content right there.

Janet Jackson: Still Not Convinced She's an Icon (While Literally Being an Icon)

The night's emotional peak belonged to Janet Jackson, making her first TV performance in seven years. Watching her glide through "Someone to Call My Lover" and "All For You" (with a little "Control" tease) was like witnessing a magic trick of pop perfection. Every gesture was calculated, every beat locked in.

My not-so-cheap seats view (gotta love those big monitors)

Her acceptance speech for the ICON Award was vintage Janet: gracious, grounded, and refreshingly humble. “I don’t consider myself an icon,” she insisted, while literally being an icon on a stage accepting an ICON Award.

Benson Boone's Revenge Arc

Young Benson Boone clearly learned from February's Grammy wardrobe malfunction when Heidi Klum and Nikki Glaser basically turned him into their personal dress-up doll. This time, during "Mystical Magical," he literally backflipped off the stage and strutted to the front row where the dynamic duo was waiting. His rejection game was STRONG—a finger to Klum's lips and a head shake that would make any bouncer proud. Character development at its finest.

The Star-Spangled Finale

The evening wrapped with more American flag imagery than a Fourth of July barbecue, complete with military tributes and Zac Brown receiving the inaugural Veterans Voice Award. Blake Shelton beamed in remotely with enough patriotic backdrop to make Uncle Sam weep tears of red, white, and blue joy. And there was Rod, representing the "old guard" at 80, still bringing more fire than artists half his age.

Rod’s Actual Performance:

The Performance I Saw In My Head:

(Paul Hogan vintage clip… Rod Stewart actually sent him a card, saying he got the moves down perfectly!)

In true Sin City fashion, the 2025 AMAs delivered exactly what was promised: spectacle, surprise, and just enough chaos to keep things interesting. From F-bombs to backflips, absent winners to present icons, it was a night that proved music’s greatest power isn’t just moving bodies—it’s moving the cultural conversation forward, one purple carpet moment at a time.

And yes, that $850 ticket price is still haunting my dreams!

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