Taylor Swift Skips Her 2026 American Music Awards Red Carpet Look—and a Knicks vs. Cavaliers Game 4 Outfit
Neither appearance was in play for the pop star.
Taylor Swift was the most nominated artist at the May 25 American Music Awards, but she didn't lead the night's red carpet best-dressed list. Outlets including People confirmed the 40-time AMA winner wouldn't attending this year's ceremony, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Rocket Arena, home of the Cleveland Cavaliers, almost had better luck with a Taylor Swift outfit sighting. Given the pop star's surprise courtside outfit for Game 3 in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers, there was hope for another look waiting for its close-up: a second Cavs fan outfit to coordinate with her fiancé, Travis Kelce. But by the end of the first quarter, it seemed running back another basketball date night wasn't in play.
Taylor Swift last attended the American Music Awards in 2022.
On May 23, Swift and Kelce surprised fans by trading NFL fan gear for NBA apparel, in support of the Cleveland Cavaliers. (Cleveland is Kelce's hometown.) The duo proved they know how to ball—or at least, dress for it—in hers-and-his denim. Swift stayed true to her sports-gone-luxury styling playbook in head-to-toe Stella McCartney—plus a few favorite designer accessories, including her Dior Cigale bag and her Artifex Fine diamond engagement ring. Kelce repped the 440 in a mix of Louis Vuitton, Nike, and pro-shop fan apparel.
Given Kelce's hometown pride and the nail-biter stakes of the latest Knicks vs. Cavaliers game, the pair could possibly have skipped the American Music Awards for another night cheering for his team. However, it appeared the couple also opted to skip Game 4 for alternative Memorial Day plans. While Knicks superfans Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were spotted in Rocket Arena, Swift and Kelce were nowhere to be seen.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce surprised Cavaliers fans on Saturday, May 23, when they attended Game 3 in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals against the New York Knicks.
Even if Swift wasn't potentially expanding her game-day apparel at the Knicks vs. Cavaliers game, an American Music Awards red carpet outfit wouldn't have been guaranteed. She last attended in 2022, when she accepted a handful of trophies while wearing a disco-inspired jumpsuit by The Blonds. Her eye-popping number of wins has only come with sporadic appearances over the years. Before 2022, her most recent in-person acceptance speech arrived in 2019, accompanied by a custom Julien Macdonald gown. She's much more consistently spotted at the Grammy Awards when she's nominated.
Taylor Swift attending the American Music Awards in 2019.
A declined red carpet RSVP doesn't always mean Swift is skipping an awards-show look altogether. It might just be virtual. At past installments of both the American Music Awards and iHeartRadio Music Awards, Swift has beamed in via video to collect her trophies. But without a single win of her eight AMAs nominations, it's no wonder she declined to attend the 2026 installment.
Here's one confirmed Taylor Swift red carpet we do know is coming up: the Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on June 11. She's making history as the youngest woman to ever join the institution's ranks of industry-shaping honorees—of course she'll be there.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with details concerning Taylor Swift's attendance at Game 4 of the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, as well as the 2026 American Music Awards.
