The Juno Awards broadcast on Sunday night, March 29, at TD Coliseum in Hamilton, successfully captivated audiences by featuring an impressive lineup of music legends and celebrating significant achievements in Canadian music. While the preceding industry gala on Saturday struggled to attract young A-list stars, the televised event delivered on its promise, presenting only four trophies but featuring a Canadian Music Hall of Fame induction for Nelly Furtado and a special Lifetime Achievement Award for the iconic Joni Mitchell. This year's broadcast was particularly notable for the much-anticipated presence of Joni Mitchell, whose decision to attend in person to accept her lifetime achievement award generated considerable excitement leading up to the event.

A star-studded tribute to Joni Mitchell proved to be a powerful and moving segment, closing out the two-hour show. Led by renowned Canadian artists such as Sarah McLachlan and Allison Russell, alongside talents like Nelly Furtado, Jully Black, The Beaches, Alessia Cara, Sofia Camara, and members of Arkells and Billy Talent, a medley of Mitchell's classics including “Case Of You,” “Both Sides Now,” and “Big Yellow Taxi” was performed. The grand finale saw all participating artists join together, with Mitchell herself stepping in to sing the final notes of “and put up a parking lot,” receiving a thunderous applause. Introduced by Prime Minister Mark Carney, Mitchell was visibly moved by the honor, expressing her joy at being "back in Canada" and praising Carney multiple times. McLachlan later shared her excitement, stating she had "idolized her and dissected her music," and that Mitchell had personally asked her to create the medley for the tribute, hearing it for the first time during rehearsals.

The broadcast kicked off with an unexpected and electrifying surprise: a rare performance by hard rock global superstars Rush. Marking their first-ever appearance at the Junos, and their first performance since 2015 and the passing of drummer Neil Peart in 2020, the legendary band delivered a high-octane rendition of “Finding My Way,” the inaugural track from their debut album. Following their performance, singer Geddy Lee explained the difficulty in choosing a song, ultimately deferring to management. Guitarist and founding member Alex Lifeson playfully expressed hopes of surviving their upcoming global stadium tour, which encompasses 85 shows. Both Lee and Lifeson lauded their newly recruited drummer, Anika Nilles, with Lee poignantly remarking, in reference to Peart, that "music is still a part of us. Music lives beyond tragedy."

Several artists who had already claimed awards at Saturday's gala were celebrated further during the broadcast. Toronto rock quartet The Beaches, having previously won Rock Album of the Year, returned to accept the prestigious Group of the Year award, a remarkable third consecutive win. They chose to perform a powerful ballad backed by strings on the broadcast, emphasizing in their acceptance speech that "there is no better feeling than coming home." Similarly, young B.C. country singer-songwriter Cameron Whitcomb, who took home Country Album of the Year, was also victorious as Breakthrough Artist or Group of the Year. Whitcomb, now charting with his new single “You And Me,” offered personal advice in his acceptance speech and to the press: "Don’t drink, don’t do drugs, stay low-key."

Daniel Caesar, another significant winner, collected the coveted Songwriter of the Year award at the gala and later appeared on the broadcast to perform and accept a special International Achievement Award. This award recognized his impressive global market strides, including his 2025 album, "Son of Spergy," becoming his third top 10 album on the Billboard Canadian Albums chart. Caesar has also made multiple appearances on NPR's Tiny Desk series and graced the covers of Billboard and Billboard Canada. Fellow R&B star Mustafa introduced Caesar, highlighting "the infinite brotherhood we cultivated" and how Caesar took a "stillness in his songs" to a global stage. Caesar delivered a soulful ballad accompanied by his guitar and subtle backing vocals. He further claimed the Juno for Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year for "Son of Spergy," dedicating this win to his father, the album's namesake.

Nelly Furtado was formally inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame, an honor preceded by a heartfelt video tribute from one of Canada’s biggest stars, Drake. The rapper acknowledged Furtado's profound influence on him, particularly as a woman in the music industry, and humorously noted her impact even led him to break his Junos boycott. A diverse group of Juno Award-winning artists, including Alessia Cara, Lido Pimienta, Jully Black, Kardinal Offishall, Shawn Desman, and Tanya Tagaq, joined Furtado’s own band to perform a curated selection of her greatest hits. In her acceptance speech, Furtado expressed immense pride in being a "product of the Canadian dream," living and working in Canada, and specifically thanked the Canadian black music community for their early embrace of her career. The Fan Choice Award was presented by Majid Jordan to bbno$, who won for the second consecutive year but was not present to accept his trophy.