From 2009 through 2012, four consecutive American Music Awards ceremonies had no host.
The host-free experiment began with the 37th American Music Awards on November 22, 2009. Instead of assigning one presenter to guide the entire broadcast, producers used a succession of celebrities to introduce performers and award segments, a format modeled partly on the Grammy Awards.
The arrangement continued at the 2010, 2011, and 2012 ceremonies. The decision did not mean the shows lacked presenters: individual celebrities still appeared to introduce acts or present awards. It meant there was no single official host credited with leading the evening.
The format ended in 2013, when rapper Pitbull hosted the ceremony, and he also hosted in 2014. That return is a useful boundary when counting the run: 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 make four shows, not five. The 2008 ceremony preceded the streak, while 2013 followed it.