This year’s awards ceremony, brilliantly hosted by the iconic LL Cool J, featured electrifying performances from renowned artists including Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, GloRilla, Gracie Abrams, Kenny Chesney, Muni Long, Nelly, and Tori Kelly. The star-studded event also welcomed notable personalities such as Becky G, Billy Idol, Feid, Jenny McCarthy-Wahlberg, Joel McHale, Kelsea Ballerini, Offset, and Robin Thicke, all attending to celebrate the brilliance of their peers.

Lady Gaga was a standout at the ceremony, receiving one of the four prestigious honors of the night, the 2025 iHeartRadio Innovator Award. Joining her on stage were Mariah Carey, who was honored with the Icon Award, and Nelly, who received a surprise recognition with the Landmark Award, celebrating his longstanding impact on the music industry.

Gracie Abrams shared a heartwarming moment as she accepted the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award alongside one of her idols. Meanwhile, Billie Joe Armstrong and Nikki Glaser garnered attention with their humorous exchanges, leaving the audience in stitches with their witty remarks, some of which drew from unexpected sources!

As the first award recipient to take the stage, Green Day was awarded the title of Alternative Artist of the Year, and Billie Joe Armstrong made a unique choice in his delivery.

He humorously revealed that he had prepared remarks to read from the teleprompter but jokingly claimed he could not read them. It appeared that he was leaning on cue cards instead, adding a layer of unplanned humor to the moment.

His delivery resembled that of a nervous student during a seventh-grade debate, struggling to keep their composure as their peers chuckle in the background. It was a comical and relatable moment that resonated with many.

However, the content of his speech seemed to perplex many in the audience and online, with some humorously questioning whether they truly understood his points.

“Wow, I don’t know what to say. I guess the only thing I can say is that celebrities at award shows will keep rockin’ and rollin’, making better acceptance speeches,” he continued. “Sometimes these acceptance speeches are considered filthy by some people, but I don’t think that’s true.”

“These speeches celebrities make can be better. They can help, I really mean that. We can always do better. I’m going to keep trying if you keep trying. Let’s keep rockin’ and rollin’, man.”

Did that strike a chord with you? It should, as it closely resembles a famous speech given by Mark Wahlberg as Dirk Diggler in the controversial film Boogie Nights. That’s right, Green Day cleverly borrowed lines from a speech about a porn star for this significant moment… you can’t get more diverse or rock-and-roll than that!

In a heartwarming surprise, Ashanti took the stage to present the iHeartRadio Landmark Award to her partner, Nelly. This unexpected moment brought joy to both the audience and Nelly, who had no idea she would be appearing.

“Okay, so he didn’t know that I was coming up here; he thought I just went to the bathroom,” she humorously remarked as the camera captured Nelly’s surprised expression just offstage, ready to deliver a powerful performance.

She celebrated the 25th anniversary of his groundbreaking 10-million selling debut album, Country Grammar, which put St. Louis on the map in hip-hop and successfully bridged the East-West divide, before handing the spotlight back to the icon himself.

Fans online were ecstatic about the moment, particularly her enthusiastic declaration of “h-u-u-usband,” leading many to speculate about their marital status. According to reports by TMZ, they quietly wed in December 2023, making the moment even more special.

For more details on their love story and to see the social media reactions, check out the links below: