Janet Jackson made a high-profile return to television on Monday night, delivering her first televised performance in seven years at the 2025 American Music Awards. The appearance marked a celebrated moment in the music legend’s career, as she took the stage at the Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Memorial Day to a roaring crowd.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, who turned 59 earlier this month, captivated the audience with energetic renditions of her iconic hits “Someone to Call My Lover” and “All For You” before receiving one of the evening’s most prestigious honors, the Icon Award.
“I’m so honored. I’m so grateful,” Jackson said during her acceptance speech.
“I mean no disrespect in any way but I don’t consider myself an icon. My family, myself, our dream was to, it wasn’t ever to be famous. We always had a special love for music, dancing and singing. Fame came as a result of hard work and dedication,” she added.
“My story, my family story, is truly an American story. This would have only happened in America. The only thing that I hope for is that I’ve been an inspiration to other and artists to follow their dreams and succeed.”
The Icon Award has previously been presented to industry greats such as Rihanna in 2013 and Lionel Richie in 2022.
With an illustrious career spanning decades, Jackson remains one of the most influential figures in music history. An 11-time American Music Award winner and five-time Grammy recipient, she is the youngest of the legendary Jackson family’s ten children. Her upbringing was steeped in performance, alongside her siblings including the late pop icon Michael Jackson.
Her 1989 album, Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814, remains a historic benchmark in pop music, as it is still the only album to produce seven songs that reached the Top Five on the Billboard Hot 100.
One of her featured songs at the AMAs, “Someone to Call My Lover,” originally released in 2001 as part of her All For You album, has seen a resurgence in popularity after going viral on TikTok, recently re-entering the Billboard charts.
With other classic hits like “That’s the Way Love Goes,” “Nasty,” “Together Again,” and “What Have You Done For Me Lately,” Jackson was finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019—an accolade many fans and critics had long anticipated.
Jackson has remained active in recent years. In December 2024, she launched a Las Vegas residency at Resorts World Theatre and is scheduled to return to the same venue this week for three more shows.
Though her career has been marked by exceptional success, Jackson faced significant setbacks after the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show controversy, during which her breast was briefly exposed during a performance with Justin Timberlake. The incident sparked widespread criticism, with Jackson bearing the brunt of the backlash. Timberlake, criticized for not publicly defending her at the time, issued a public apology in 2021.
