Created by TV icon Dick Clark back in 1973 to compete with the Grammy Awards, the American Music Awards is celebrating its big 50th anniversary this year and they're doing so with a star-studded extravaganza tonight on TV.
Airing concurrently on both coasts on CBS on Sunday, October 6 (at 8pm Eastern Time and 5pm Pacific), the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special will "commemorate half a century of iconic moments, unforgettable performances, and rich pop culture history with a two-hour broadcast," per the network. The special "will serve as a tribute to the past 50 years and feature dazzling new performances, heartfelt artist interviews, legendary special guests, and exclusive never-before-seen footage."
Given the momentous occasion, producers have unsurprisingly put together an A-list lineup of performers for the anniversary special. Two-time AMA winner Brad Paisley will honor the late Charley Pride, the first American Music Award (AMA) winner for Country Male and Country Album, while Jennifer Hudson will tribute 22-time AMA winner Whitney Houston with a moving performance. Gladys Knight—a seven-time AMA winner who performed on the first American Music Awards in 1974—will return to the awards show 50 years later for an encore performance of “Midnight Train to Georgia."
Green Day will celebrate the history of Rock music at the AMAs with a performance of their latest hit "Dilemma," while Chaka Khan will represent 50 years of achievements by female artists on the AMAs with a special performance of her iconic anthem “I’m Every Woman." And music icon Mariah Carey will perform a medley of her hits to kick off the 20th anniversary celebration of her multi-platinum album The Emancipation of Mimi. Country superstar Kane Smith, singer-songwriter RAYE and K-pop phenomenon Stray Kids will also be taking to the stage during the two-hour broadcast.
To tune into the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special tonight, you're going to need access to CBS. CBS is one of the four main broadcast networks in the US (along with ABC, Fox and NBC), and as such it is easily accessible through a number of options. First the channel is considered a "must carry" and included in all traditional pay-TV plans. It is also easily accessible if you opt for a TV antenna, with the devices able to pick up local station signals. If you prefer going with a more "new school" approach, live TV streaming services like Fubo, Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV carry CBS as part of their channel lineups.
The anniversary special will also be available to stream Paramount Plus. You can watch it live and on-demand if you're a Paramount+ with SHOWTIME subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs.
