Country star Blake Shelton is addressing fan backlash after he and wife Gwen Stefani performed pre-recorded sets at the 2025 American Music Awards.

Shelton responded on May 27 through a post on X (formerly Twitter), after viewers complained about the couple's taped performances being presented as if they were live during the May 26 broadcast, ENews said.

"Just now seeing these stories about Gwen and I pretaping our performances for the AMAs," Shelton wrote. "We came and performed when the show asked us to... Really nothing else to say."

Shelton performed his latest single, "Stay Country or Die Tryin'," while Stefani delivered a medley of her popular hits "The Sweet Escape" and "Hollaback Girl," along with her newer track "Swallow My Tears." Her performance also honored the 20th anniversary of her 2005 AMA win.

However, many in the live audience at the Fontainebleau were caught off guard. Fans on TikTok shared videos showing empty stages while the performances played on screens.

Some said they felt misled, claiming the show announced Shelton and Stefani as performing "live," only for the stars to be absent from the stage.

Gwen Stefani's AMAs Set Was Pre-Recorded—Fans Say They Were Misled

"The craziest part of the AMAs last night was being told, 'Here's Blake Shelton live,' only to see a taped video," one attendee posted. "Then the same thing happened with Gwen Stefani!"

Another fan's video showed Shelton "performing" on the big screen while a different artist's crew set up onstage. The caption read, "When Blake Shelton is 'performing' but there is no Shelton in sight."

According to RollingStone, Stefani did appear to be watching the show from home, live-tweeting her thoughts during other performances. "Ummm?!! @bensonboone that was incredible!" she wrote. She also praised Gloria Estefan, saying, "One of the sweetest humans I've had the honor to meet."

Despite the confusion, pre-recorded segments at award shows aren't unusual. Still, some fans felt that this wasn't made clear during the AMAs broadcast.

Neither Shelton nor Stefani's representatives responded to media requests for further comment. A spokesperson for the AMAs also declined to speak on the matter.

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Blake Shelton, Gwen Stefani