Overview

• Gwen Stefani’s 20th-anniversary medley from Love. Angel. Music. Baby. and Blake Shelton’s new single “Stay Country or Die Tryin’” were pre-recorded rather than performed live at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
• Videos on TikTok showed empty stages and crew setting up beneath screens displaying the performances, prompting fans to accuse the show of deception.
• Entertainment Weekly confirmed these were the only pre-taped acts, with other stars such as Janet Jackson, Lainey Wilson and Gloria Estefan performing live.
• Viewers also slammed the ceremony for its limited on-air awards and a perceived lack of star appearances beyond host Jennifer Lopez.
• Some defense emerged noting that pre-taping segments is industry practice, but fans said the lack of transparency undermined the ceremony’s live broadcast claims.