LL Cool J to Host 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards
LL Cool J is set to host the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, which will air live from Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, March 17 (8-10 p.m. ET live/PT tape-delayed) on FOX. LL also hosted the show in 2022. He is the first repeat host in the show’s 12-year history.
A wide range of top acts — Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, GloRilla, Gracie Abrams, Kenny Chesney, Muni Long and Nelly — are set to perform on the show.
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LL hosted the Grammy Awards five years running, from 2012-16. He has also hosted or co-hosted the Soul Train Music Awards (1996-97), the NAACP Image Awards (2007) and the MTV Music Video Awards (2022).
Taylor Swift and Morgan Wallen are the leading contenders for the 2025 iHeartRadio Music Awards, with 10 nods each. They are followed by Kendrick Lamar, Post Malone and Sabrina Carpenter, with nine nods each. All five artists are nominated for artist of the year, as are Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll, SZA and Teddy Swims.
Lady Gaga will receive the 2025 iHeartRadio Innovator Award, which is presented to an artist who has impacted both music and global culture throughout their career. Mariah Carey will receive the 2025 iHeartRadio Icon Award. Nelly will receive the 2025 iHeartRadio Landmark Award, honoring artists whose album releases have inspired and shaped culture over multiple decades.
Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour will be named Tour of the Century (despite the fact that we’re only one-quarter of the way through the century). The telecast will air an exclusive performance from the opening night of The Eras Tour, March 17, 2023.
The 12th annual iHeartRadio Music Awards will celebrate the most-played artists and songs on iHeartRadio stations and the iHeartRadio app throughout 2024, while also offering a preview of the hits of 2025.
The event also will be heard on iHeartRadio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio app.
Fan voting will determine this year’s favorite soundtrack, favorite Broadway debut, favorite K-pop dance challenge, favorite surprise guest and favorite tour tradition (all of which are new categories this year), plus these five returning categories: best lyrics, best music video, favorite tour style, favorite tour photographer and favorite on screen. Social voting began on Jan. 22 and will close on March 10 at 11:59 p.m. PT. Fans can vote by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Additional categories include label of the year and individual winners for album of the year in music’s biggest genres, including pop, country, alternative, rock, dance, hip-hop, R&B, Latin and regional Mexican formats. For a full list of categories, visit iHeartRadio.com/awards.
Executive producers for the iHeartRadio Music Awards are Joel Gallen, for Tenth Planet; and Sykes, Poleman and Bart Peters, for iHeartMedia.
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