Janet Jackson is making a major return to the spotlight. The music legend will receive the ICON Award at the 2025 American Music Awards on May 26 and is set to perform live on television for the first time in seven years.

The awards ceremony, held at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas, marks a high-profile moment during Jackson’s Las Vegas residency at Resorts World, which begins just days earlier on May 21. With a career spanning over 40 years, Jackson has earned 11 AMAs, five Grammys, a Golden Globe, and dozens of other honors.

Her last televised performance came in 2018 at the Billboard Music Awards, where she addressed the #MeToo movement in her acceptance speech. “I believe that for all our challenges, we live at a glorious moment in history,” she said at the time.

Jackson becomes only the third artist to receive the ICON Award at the AMAs, following Rihanna in 2013 and Lionel Richie in 2022. The AMAs themselves are returning to television after a two-year hiatus and will debut three new categories: Album, Song, and Social Song of the Year.

This year’s ceremony will be hosted by Jennifer Lopez, while rapper Kendrick Lamar leads all nominees with 10 nods across seven categories. The show will be broadcast live on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.

Jackson’s career has long been marked by trailblazing achievements. She was honored with the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2015 BET Awards and inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, alongside legends like Stevie Nicks, Radiohead, and The Zombies.

Reflecting on her family’s legacy during her Rock Hall induction, Jackson said, “I witnessed, along with the rest of the world, my family’s extraordinary impact on popular culture… As the youngest in the family, I was determined to make it on my own… Tonight, your baby sister has made it in.”

The 2025 AMAs will celebrate not only her legacy but also a renewed connection with audiences eager to see her back on stage.