U.S. Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu might have received the biggest standing ovation at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Thursday night.
Liu became an international phenomenon after winning the gold medal in women’s singles at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games last month. Liu also won mixed team gold.
Taylor Swift narrated an NBC Sports video on Team USA’s “Blade Angels” and called them “three American showgirls on ice,” a nod to her The Life of a Showgirl album, which was released last October. The video was soundtracked by Swift’s “Opalite.”
At the iHeartRadio Music Awards on Thursday, Liu took the stage to present Swift with Artist of the Year and break the news to her that she’d also won multiple other awards.
“When I won the gold medal at the Olympics on my own terms, I was honored and happy to have achieved the performance that I’d long dreamed of. And now, presenting this next icon with the award for Artist of the Year is an incredibly huge honor for me. With 34 iHeartRadio Music Awards — the most in history — she is the G.O.A.T. of music.”
The FOX broadcast cut to Swift bowing her head bashfully while Travis Kelce, Swift’s fiancé, beamed beside her.
Liu continued, “She lent her voice and music by narrating a video introducing me and the other ‘Blade Angels.’ I gotta say, I think that’s why we won.”
Swift was even more bashful after that — covering her face and burying it in Kelce’s shoulder, and Kelce clapped with an even bigger smile than before.
Liu then announced that Swift also won Album of the Year (The Life of a Showgirl), Pop Song of the Year (“The Fate of Ophelia”), Best Lyrics (“The Fate of Ophelia”), Best Music Video (“The Fate of Ophelia”), and Favorite Tour Style.
Swift met Liu on stage to accept Artist of the Year. The two embraced for a long time before Swift gave her acceptance speech, which began by thanking Liu for bringing her “so much happiness.” Swift also shared how she had the “luxury” of having “thousands of hours” unobserved as a preteen working on her craft.
“I just want to say, if I had one hope for you, I would say that I hope you get to nurture your hobby and your passion, just between you and that craft — and you give yourself time,” Swift said to her fans. “Give yourself time to make mistakes. Give yourself time to hone your craft. I’m a firm believer that anything you feed your mind, it will internalize. Anything you feed the internet, it will attempt to kill.”
The internet couldn’t get enough of Swift at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Awards. See clips below.
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