This may very well be the 1993 awards once more.
Photograph: James Devaney/GC Photographs
There’s a complete new crop of pop girlies to smooch, so it makes excellent sense that Madonna can be acting at MTV’s Video Music Awards for the primary time in 23 years. Simply kidding — it’s as a result of she leads the pack this 12 months for nominations. Confessions II earned Mads 11 nods, forward of different stars like Taylor Swift (9), Sabrina Carpenter, and Ariana Grande (seven every). Right here’s every little thing we all know concerning the 2026 VMAs.
Will probably be a somber (and Sombr) night on MTV. There can be three tributes to deceased music legends at this 12 months’s VMAs. Kacey Musgraves can be performing a tribute to Dolly Parton. Raye, Sombr, and Teddy Swims will do a tribute to George Michael for the tenth anniversary of his demise. And presumably somebody can be doing a tribute to Nirvana, as they are going to be this 12 months’s Video Vanguard recipients. Possibly Violet Grohl? Possibly Yungblud? He’s at all times tributing rock stars of yore.
Past Madonna and the musical hagiography, lots of the nominated acts can be plugging their tasks. Count on performances from Gener8ion and Yung Lean, Lisa, Shaboozey, Gunna, and Sienna Spiro. Extra acts can be introduced within the coming days. Tate McRae has so many extra substances to dunk herself in, in any case.
One assumes Dave Grohl and Krist Novoselic (and Pat Smear?) can be accepting the award on behalf of Nirvana. But when Courtney Love does it as a substitute, we’ve got an opportunity to re-create the perfect VMAs red-carpet second of all time: when Love crashed Madonna’s interview with Kurt Loder.
Snoop Dogg was introduced as this 12 months’s host on September 10. Count on at the least one Martha Stewart pretaped section. “Among the greatest moments of my profession occurred on that stage, and on MTV, they gave hip hop a spot to be loud, fearless and seen by the entire world,” Snoop mentioned in a press release to press. “So to return again now and host the VMAs, all these years later, that’s a full-circle second for me.” Fittingly, this would be the first West Coast VMAs in ten years.
The MTV Video Music Awards are on September 27. The present will broadcast stay on CBS and MTV and can stream stay on Paramount+.
Join the Vulture Day by day
An leisure e-newsletter for the pop-culture obsessed.
Vox Media, LLC Phrases and Privateness Discover