Sep 23, 2026 Content Strategy
A white wedding dress. An army of Slim Shadys marching into Radio City Music Hall. Beyoncé revealing her baby bump after “Love on Top.” For more than four decades, the MTV Video Music Awards (“VMAs”) have given artists a stage to do what no one expects—and audiences a reason to keep watching until the final Moon Person is presented.
On Sept. 27, that tradition continues with a live broadcast shaped by music history, emerging talent and the possibility that the night’s most talked-about moment has not happened yet.
Legends Return to the “VMAs” Stage
This year’s show arrives in Los Angeles with two artists whose histories are deeply connected to the “VMAs.” Snoop Dogg will host as the ceremony returns to the West Coast for the first time since 2017, while Madonna will open the show with her first live “VMAs” performance in 23 years.
“MTV and the ‘VMAs’ have been part of my story since the beginning,” said Snoop Dogg, a 13-time nominee and three-time winner whose appearances have included performing with Eminem, paying tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. and closing the 1999 show with Dr. Dre and Eminem. “Some of the biggest moments of my career happened on that stage and on MTV— they gave hip hop a place to be loud, fearless and seen by the whole world.”
Madonna’s return carries its own unmistakable sense of history. Her performance of “Like a Virgin” at the inaugural 1984 ceremony became one of the show’s defining images, followed by memorable appearances ranging from “Express Yourself” and “Vogue” to the 2003 opening with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. She also became the first solo female artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1986.
Madonna
For Vladimir Duthiers, host of CBS MORNINGS, covering this year’s show brings that history full circle. He was 14 when he watched the first “VMAs” and saw Madonna step onto the stage in a white wedding dress. “So to actually cover the ‘VMAs’ in person, after watching them for more than four decades, feels a little surreal,” Duthiers said. “And somehow, it all comes full circle: Madonna, the artist who made me fall in love with the ‘VMAs’ in the first place, is returning to perform on that stage for the first time in 23 years.”
A Lineup That Spans Generations
That connection between the moments audiences remember and the artists defining music now runs throughout the 2026 show. Nirvana will receive the Video Vanguard Award 34 years after the band’s first “VMAs” performance.
Taylor Swift will also receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, a new distinction recognizing artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling. A seven-time Best Director nominee and four-time winner, Swift is being recognized for developing a distinctive directorial voice across videos and films including “The Man,” “All Too Well: The Short Film,” “Anti-Hero” and “Fortnight.”
ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT correspondent Denny Directo, who will cover this year’s show, has seen how that mix of generations shapes the show’s atmosphere. “There’s nothing quite like the ‘VMAs.’ The energy is electric and everyone is having the best time,” Directo said. “Only at the ‘VMAs’ do you have this perfect mix of music legends and breakthrough artists, who all know they are walking on hallowed ground and are excited to be there.”
Denny Directo on the red carpet at the 2025 MTV “VMAs”
The performance lineup brings established stars and first-time “VMAs” performers to the same stage. Gener8ion and Yung Lean will each make their “VMAs” debut with the world premiere performance of “Storm II.” LISA returns for the television debut of “SaWaDiKa,” while Raye and Sienna Spiro will perform at the show for the first time. Shaboozey will take the stage with “Cowgirl” before Gunna joins him for the first broadcast performance of their collaboration, “High Noon.”
The nominees offer another snapshot of the “VMAs’” reach across eras, genres and fandoms. Madonna leads the field with 13 nominations, followed by Taylor Swift with 11, with artists including Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, LISA and Olivia Rodrigo among the contenders. Twenty-six artists earned their first nominations this year, and Best Dance returns for the first time in seven years.
Big Ideas with Broad Reach
The “VMAs” have never been defined by a list of names alone. Their staying power comes from turning performances, personalities, fans and brands into a live experience that feels inseparable from the culture around it. In 2026, that experience stretches across CBS, MTV, Paramount+ and social—expanding both who can join the event and how they can participate.
“Being on CBS has made the ‘VMAs’ uniquely multigenerational,” said Matt Newcomb, senior vice president of activation for Paramount Brand Studio. “You still have MTV doing what it has always done best—spotlighting the young, cutting-edge artists shaping what’s next—alongside legendary artists and iconic moments that resonate with a broad CBS audience. It creates this incredible collision of music discovery and music history, all on one stage.”
That larger canvas also gives Paramount’s partners room to become part of the experience in ways that extend beyond a traditional commercial. This year, BACARDÍ is helping bring back the Best Dance award, Spotify is opening the “VMAs” archive to new audiences and is a presenting partner of Madonna’s opening performance. Dunkin’, The General Insurance, Gillette Venus, Tide evo and Under Armour are also official sponsors.
For Newcomb, who has worked on 17 "VMAs,” the strongest collaborations begin with an idea that feels just beyond reach. “What I remember most are the moments when someone—an artist, an advertiser, or occasionally one of us—comes in with an idea that sounds slightly impossible, and somehow we figure out how to make it happen,” he said.
That creative ambition has produced activations ranging from the Verizon Twitter Tracker and COVERGIRL’s #covermoment to a downtown Los Angeles stage with Pepsi, a Jonas Brothers performance in Asbury Park with Toyota and the Toyota VMA Drive-In. In 2025, Dunkin’ and Meg Stalter carried a comedic brand story from commercial time into the live show, blurring the boundary between an integration and the entertainment itself.
How Fans Can Be Part of the Show
Fans will help shape this year’s results before the broadcast begins. Voting is underway across 13 general categories at vote.mtv.com through Sept. 25 at 6:00 PM, ET, with Best New Artist voting continuing into the show. Voting for Best Group, Best Long Form Video, Best Album and Song of Summer will roll out on the @MTV Instagram Story beginning Sept. 21 and continuing through the morning of Sept. 27.
The 2026 MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS air live Sunday, Sept. 27, from 7:30-9:30 PM, ET/4:30-6:30 PM, PT on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ Premium in the U.S. The show will be available globally the following day on Paramount+ and MTV.