{"id":340909,"date":"2026-05-26T13:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/?p=340909"},"modified":"2026-05-26T13:00:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T07:30:33","slug":"queen-latifah-delivers-amas-2026-monologue-as-host","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ebiztoday.news\/index.php\/2026\/05\/26\/queen-latifah-delivers-amas-2026-monologue-as-host\/","title":{"rendered":"Queen Latifah Delivers AMAs 2026 Monologue as Host"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Queen Latifah<\/strong> kicked off her 2026 American Music Awards hosting gig with an unforgettable monologue fit for royalty.<\/p>\n

The rapper and actress, 56, opened the Monday, May 25, awards show on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI gotta say, it feels so good to be back here hosting the AMAs after 31 years,\u201d Latifah said as she addressed the group. \u201cYou think that? A few of BTS wasn\u2019t even born, that\u2019s crazy. That Black don\u2019t crack baby! And in case you would have told me 31 years ago I\u2019d be back on that stage, a stack of awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a profession thats taken me from music to film, I probably would\u2019ve checked out you and said, \u2018Who you calling a trailblazer?’\u201d<\/p>\n

She also shared a message in honor of the country\u2019s military vetereans, because the awards show fell on Memorial Day.<\/p>\n

This will not be Latifah\u2019s first time helming the AMAs. She previously made her cohosting debut alongside Tom Jones<\/strong> and Lorrie Morgan<\/strong> in the course of the January 1995 awards show.<\/p>\n

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Related: <\/span>American Music Awards 2026 Red Carpet: Stars Take Over Sin City in Style<\/span>
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\n\t\t\tCelebrities stepped onto the 2026 American Music Awards red carpet in show-stopping looks for considered one of the most popular events of the yr. A-listers dazzled as they gave Us some serious fashion inspo under the intense Las Vegas lights on Monday, May 25, in honor of the star-studded ceremony held on the MGM Grand Garden Arena [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cI’m excited to return to the American Music Awards stage to host this yr,\u201d she said in an April press release. \u201cIt\u2019s been an incredible yr for music and there isn’t a higher place to have fun than in Vegas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dick Clark Productions CEO Jay Penske<\/strong> was equally enthusiastic about Latifah returning to her hosting role after 31 years.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to welcome Queen Latifah back as host of the American Music Awards,\u201d Penske said on the time. \u201cA real powerhouse and trailblazer, she brings a dynamic presence and deep connection to each fans and fellow artists, making her the right selection to guide an evening of celebrating the largest names and most defining moments in music.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While Latifah has focused more on acting in recent times, she can also be known for her influential hip-hop profession. Nearly twenty years after her most up-to-date studio album, 2009\u2019s Persona<\/em>, she exclusively told Us Weekly<\/em> in May 2025 that she is \u201cfinding my pen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to see what comes of that,\u201d she teased of her potential return to music. \u201cI\u2019m pretty open. There\u2019s rap artists that I’d like to get down with. There\u2019s also rock artists.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Latifah acknowledged that \u201cquite a lot of music is different\u201d now than when she started off within the Nineteen Eighties, she is willing to experiment along with her sound.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would like to do some house music. I\u2019ve made house music for the reason that first album,\u201d she explained. \u201cI definitely need to step into that space and have some more fun. I could do reggae. I mean, there\u2019s so many things I feel like I can step into \u2014 and naturally, more jazz.\u201d<\/p>\n

As for possible collaborations, Latifah shouted out several popular artists she hopes to work with in some unspecified time in the future in the long run.<\/p>\n

\u201cI like Doechii<\/strong>. I’d do anything with Doechii,\u201d she told Us<\/em>. \u201cShe is dope. She feels like she\u2019s from my era. She drew from all the nice rappers of my era, of course, and he or she produces. She will be able to do no incorrect in my eyes.\u201d<\/p>\n

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