8 Biggest Jaw-Droppers at the 2017 American Music Awards

Christina Aguilera, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift bring memorable moments

By Mike Vulpo Nov 20, 2017 12:00 PMTags

The American Music Awards are ending 2017 on a high note.

After thousands of votes were cast, the world's biggest fan-voted award show hit the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles where more than a few familiar faces were praised for their talents.

Hosted by Tracee Ellis Ross, the live three-hour telecast also kept viewers on the edge of their seats thanks to unique performances, unexpected collaborations and a few surprise guests.

Ultimately, many artists let it all out on stage resulting in memorable moments everyone will still be talking about today.

We compiled just a few of the OMG, jaw-dropping moments from last night's show. Who's ready to dish?!

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2017 AMAs: All the Winners

Selena Gomez Returns: In her first performance since her kidney transplant, Selena took to the stage for an emotional performance of "Wolves" with Marshmello. The newly platinum blond singer performed around the scene of a dangerous car accident with a group of all-female dancers.

Ultimately, some viewers were left underwhelmed with her performance. In fact, some even accused the singer of lip synching. Don't worry, the Selenators were quick to defend her. "Can people not trash Selena Gomez about her performance because she was apparently lip synching? I'd like to see you go through what she has in the past year and perform in front of millions," one fan wrote.

ABC

Are You Ready for Taylor Swift: While she wasn't physically inside the Microsoft Theater, the "Shake It Off" singer was still able to be part of the show. In a pre-taped video segment, Taylor helped celebrate Diana Ross and her Lifetime Achievement Award. "Hey Diana, it's Taylor. I just want to say congratulations on your lifetime achievement award. I want to say congratulations. I don't know anyone who hasn't been inspired by you," she shared. "You're elegant, fierce, strong, and brave, and you have paved the way for everyone who does what we do now. Including me. So, thank you."

Perhaps Taylor will make next year's show. After all, reputation just sold 1.29 million copies in the U.S. alone in one short week.

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2017 American Music Awards: Red Carpet Fashion
Jeff Kravitz/AMA2017/FilmMagic for dcp

Christina Aguilera's Tribute: 25 years after the late Whitney Houston appeared in The Bodyguard and gave us big hits including "I Will Always Love You," the AMAs decided to honor the legend with help from a pop superstar. Christina Aguilera took to the stage to perform a medley of hits including "I Will Always Love You," "I Have Nothing," "Run to You" and "I'm Every Woman." Whitney's sister-in-law Pat Houston and her niece were in attendance for the night's tribute.

As for the rumored shade Pink threw at Christina during the performance, we're here to set the record straight. "Christina f--king killed it tonight for one of our favorite singers ever," she wrote on Twitter. "This about Whitney, and I am in awe of Christina's talent. Show the clip where I'm in tears, you negative Nancy's."

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

High Above Los Angeles: Speaking of Pink, everybody knows the proud mom can sing and perform like a superwoman. But on Sunday night, the Grammy winner took it to a whole other level—literally and figuratively—when she flipped and sang her way on the side of the JW Marriott Hotel in Los Angeles. "Not only is she a powerhouse vocalist, but she's known for performances that take us to literally new heights," Tracee shared before introducing the singer. "This tops anything she's ever done." BRB: We're headed straight to Ticketmaster to buy tickets for her 2018 tour.

Gone, But Not Forgotten: When it was announced that Linkin Park won Favorite Alternative Rock Artist, fans were surprised to discover the guys were present to receive the award. Mike Shinoda, Rob Bourdon and Brad Delson shared a heartwarming message about the late Chester Bennington during their acceptance speech. "We want to dedicate this award to him, to his memory, to his talent, to his sense of humor, to his joy," they shared. "And remember, you guys, all of you tonight, whether you're a fan or an artist—I want you guys to take a moment to appreciate what you've got. And make Chester proud."

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Tracee Ellis Ross' 2017 American Music Awards Style

Watch Out Haters: "There's so much hate in this world. We have to rise above. And never say sorry," Demi Lovato said when kicking off her performance of "Sorry Not Sorry." During her time on stage, mean tweets including "I Hate You" and "Fat" flashed on the giant screen. As for her plus one, it was Danica Roem who is the first openly transgender state legislator in U.S. history.  "My story with ‘Sorry Not Sorry' is about bullying, and I wanted to have her in the audience with me tonight because I feel like we've been through some of the same things and now we get to share this experience together," Demi explained to E! News on Live From the Red Carpet.

Watch: BTS Talks Emojis and More at the 2017 AMAs

Three Life-Changing Letters:  If you haven't heard of BTS, that's all about to change. While they recently attended the 2017 Billboard Music Awards, they made a full-on splash at Sunday's award show with their performance of "DNA." The Korean-Pop boy band has become social media sensations and are quickly gaining thousands upon thousands of new fans in the states. You can thank us later for the brief introduction.

We Are Family: What better way to end the evening than will a famous (and talented) family. While all eyes were initially on Diana, her grandchildren quickly got the attention of viewers in the audience and at home with their fashionable looks, dance moves and full-on enthusiasm as to where they were.  At the same time, Diana quickly proved why she is an icon when performing hits like "Endless Love" and "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." "This is all about love. This is my family and I'm sending love to all of you," Diana shared with the audience. "I really, really love being here and I feel so humbled by this. I love you so very much." 

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