The Worst-Dressed Celebs At 2026 American Music Awards

Pop music lovers got a special gift this Memorial Day: the 2026 American Music Awards! There was plenty of fun in store for folks who are bigger fans of a fashion faux pas than an award show, too. Stars hit the blue carpet, making fashion statements fit for a musical night. Some looks were music to our ears, but many were a cacophony of seriously strange and discordant styles.

No award show is exempt from fashion fails. This year's AMAs were certainly no exception to this rule. It seemed as though some stars were utterly stumped about what to wear for this special occasion. Others appeared to be a little too confident in their sartorial sense. The result was some of the worst red carpet outfits we've seen so far in 2026. In defense of some of the night's least fashionable stars, they certainly didn't look bad because their 'fits were boring, like what we saw from the worst-dressed celebs at this year's American Country Music Awards. Instead, those in attendance at the AMAs were seemingly determined to make out-of-the-box fashion statements. Unfortunately, many of these statements crashed and burned.

Lingerie-inspired ensembles and cheekily exposed undergarments have been popping up all throughout award season. Sometimes this style works, and sometimes it seems more like an accident than a fashion statement. Nikki Glaser hit the AMAs blue carpet in a taupe-colored, satin-seeming gown with cutouts that exposed what appeared to be black corset detailing underneath. Glaser was clearly attempting the exposed lingerie trend. In this case, though, it just looked like a messy malfunction. Plus, this color totally washed the comedian out.

"Love Island: USA" may have crowned Amaya Espinal the winner last season, but she definitely didn't get crowned best-dressed at the AMAs. The star's dress was made of slightly shiny fabric that very closely matched the shade of her skin tone. The fabric overlapped, knotted, and wove through metal rings in a dress that was seriously complicated. While the idea behind this dress was certainly interesting, the execution left us squinting our eyes, tilting our heads, and trying to figure out what was going on with this maze of fabric.

Was Karol G on her way to perform at a haunted house in this getup? Did she put her top in the laundry 1,000 times before wearing it out? Was it made out of spider webs? We don't know what series of events resulted in the singer sporting this all-black set at the AMAs, but we do know that it was a confusing choice. With a low-rise, voluminous skirt and what appeared to be a black bikini underneath, this sheer top was an odd pick that clashed with the other parts of the 'fit.

While some garments just don't quite work on the red carpet, others leave us totally confused about what anyone saw in the outfit in the first place. Such was the case with Hannah Berner's striped, rust-colored moment. It's difficult to even describe what the "Giggly Squad" cohost was wearing. It appeared to be a corset with exaggerated hips layered over a matching midi dress. The pieces created an odd silhouette, and pairing it with matching fingerless gloves was the cherry on top of a perplexing fashion choice.

"Straight up now, tell me," what possessed you to wear this, Paula Abdul?  The "American Idol" star looked a bit like a bride from Mars in this long, white, semi-sheer number. From sparkly, intricately detailed fabric, a corset top, and long gloves to a small train and massive sculptural piece, this dress had way too much going on. To make matters worse, most of these details clashed with each other, resulting in a mess of white fabric.

Twenty One Pilots gave us a two-for-one worst-dressed moment. Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun were clearly on the same page about how to dress for the AMAs. Both bandmates wore pants with strange lengths paired with jackets and completely bizarre footwear. While the duo wasn't matching, their outfits definitely had similar vibes. Neither of these looks would have been good on their own, but seeing them together just made things even worse.

Gymnast Jordan Chiles has undergone a stunning transformation since she arrived in the spotlight. That doesn't mean, however, that her style choices are always gold medal-worthy. She coordinated with the blue carpet in a blue and gold-printed jacket that matched the stripes running down either side of her loose-fitting, black pants. With long, baggy pants like these, something more fitted and sleeker up top would have created better balance. Yet, it was the strange, overly busy print that really made this getup a flop.

One glimpse of Queen Latifah at the AMAs, and no one would have guessed that the award show took place on Memorial Day in Las Vegas. This floor-length fur coat was more appropriate for Alaska in the dead of winter. Underneath the white and gray fluffy outerwear, the star appeared to be sporting a champagne-colored dress. Yet, it was hard to see past all that fluffiness and the odd asymmetrical belt to notice anything else.

We love it when a star has a signature look, and this certainly applies to Steve Stevens. Eventually, though, it's time to switch things up and try something new. After seeing Stevens' all-black 'fit on the blue carpet, we think it's time for him to tweak his wardrobe a bit. The baggy leather pants and too-long sleeves on his sheer, leopard print shirt created an odd silhouette. Styled with his usual wild hair, neck scarf, and sunglasses, he needed to go in an entirely different direction with this outfit.

JFK once famously said, "Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Now, we're asking what Lisa Rinna's stylist can do for her at the next award show. The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star clearly had something special in mind when she rocked an oversized brown suit with nothing underneath but a blue and yellow polka dot tie featuring a portrait of JFK. Yet, it's anyone's guess what her goal was here. The result was just silly and strange.