The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are over. If you did not see the almost three-hour broadcast, first of all, congratulations on a good night’s sleep. Secondly, you missed a most peculiar evening: a 68-year-old pop queen opening the show in a bathroom set, a 36-year-old country-pop superstar quietly breaking all kinds of records, and a host who, to make it all the more peculiar, kept on telling a knock-knock joke that was older than many of the audience members.
Let’s start from the beginning.
Twenty Minutes Late, But Madonna Was Worth the Wait
The broadcast was scheduled to start at 8:00 p.m. ET, but the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Dallas Cowboys lasted so long that the MTV program had to be delayed by twenty minutes. MTV scrambled to fill airtime, and the Internet was swarming with furious anger before a single Moon Person was given away.
When Madonna came out, most of them stopped talking.
This was her first performance at a VMA since 2003, when she kissed Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera on this same stage. This time, however, she didn’t try to replicate the shock. She did something even better: she showed that at 68 she can still perform in such a way that everyone else seems to stand still.
The introduction lasted about eight minutes. Madonna appeared in her familiar position, stretched out on a black grand piano, while Sabrina Carpenter played the keys of the instrument from below, and sang their duet “Bring Your Love.” Then Charli XCX made her appearance, and the scene changed to a grimy club bathroom—a tribute to New York’s legendary Danceteria—for “Danceteria Afterhours.” The cameo list was gloriously random: Debi Mazar, Julia Garner, Tony Ward, and yes, Seth Rogen, who appeared to be doing what Seth Rogen does.
The whole of it was as if Madonna were saying, “I’m not here to be honored. I’m here to remind you why I’m the reason this show exists.”
Taylor Swift Broke a Record Before the Show Even Started
Taylor Swift arrived at the 2026 VMAs tied with Beyoncé for the most number of wins in the history of the VMAs. A new category was announced: the Artist Director Honors, dedicated to the artists who, by their work behind the camera, were pushing the boundaries of the visual storytelling of music videos. The first recipient was Taylor Swift.
That 31st trophy made her the most-awarded artist in VMAs history. By night’s end, she’d also taken home Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia” and Best Direction for “Opalite,” bringing her total to 33.
Accepting Video of the Year, she dedicated the award to Dolly Parton, who died in August. “I think we’re all so lucky to have lived at the same time and shared this planet with Dolly Parton,” Swift said.
She also premiered the music video for “Patient Zero,” which she directed, starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell. The premiere happened at the VMAs—but the video was simultaneously available on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon. The “exclusive” lasted about as long as it takes to refresh a browser tab. Very 2026.
Swift’s acceptance speech for Artist of the Year included a line that will haunt dads everywhere: “First of all, I would like to thank my fingers, because I can always count on them.” She had just become the most-decorated artist in the history of the network that invented the music video. She earned the right to a terrible pun.
Snoop Dogg’s Hosting: A “Deez Nuts” Joke’s Long, Painful Death
For the first time, Snoop Dogg was the host. He had promised a “special sticky icky” to each of the lucky winners, who were to check under their seats for it, “there should be nothing there.” But this kind of stale gag only works if you’re already laughing. And no one in the room was.
Then came the joke.
“Knock.”
The audience: “Who’s there?”
Snoop: “Deez Nuts.”
The audience booed. Loudly. Snoop replied: “I knew y’all would like that!” The net reacted with a bit less charity. One of the top tweets on the subject was, “This is the most embarrassing VMAs hosting moment.” One person pointed out that the line was actually a skit from Dr. Dre’s The Chronic—older even than many of the performers nominated for Best New Artist.
One good line Snoop said, referring to Madonna’s opening: “Madonna just killed it. Now that is an icon. One thing I want to say is, she ain’t no virgin no more.” It was at least contextually earned.
The rest of the time as emcee, according to Page Six, was “capable but boring,” his jokes “not eliciting more than a few giggles.” Snoop is a legend; Snoop is likewise a legend who was asked to read from the pages of a book written by people who think “Deez Nuts” is still funny. Those are different skill sets.
The Music: Thai Tuk-Tuks, Red Big Bands, and Nirvana
The performers, in the absence of the affront of hostility, performed largely well.
LISA became the first K-pop solo artist to perform at the VMAs, bringing a Thai tuk-tuk and a full dance troupe to the stage for “SaWaDiKa.” She also won Best Pop for “Dream,” defeating Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Sabrina Carpenter, provoking the usual Internet criticism that the award is awarded by the fans. On that Tuesday, it was a normal Tuesday.
Raye’s VMAs debut was perhaps the most underrated moment of the night: barefoot in a red gown, backed by an all-red big band, performing “Where Is My Husband!”—a song that already went viral, elevated here into something theatrical and genuinely thrilling.
But the evening belonged to Nirvana, whose members, introduced by Chuck D of Public Enemy, had come together for the first time since Kurt Cobain’s death in 1994, to accept the Video Vanguard Award. Novoselic dedicated the honor to Kurt Cobain: “The ideas for those videos came from one of the greatest artists who ever lived.” The speech was brief and, by some accounts, underwhelming. But the weight of the moment didn’t need embellishment.
Kacey Musgraves delivered the Dolly Parton tribute, performing “I Will Always Love You” in a fuchsia gown with a voluminous blonde wig, backed only by piano. She fought back tears by the end. It was simple and devastating in the way the best tributes are.
The George Michael tribute was more uneven: Sombr, Raye, Teddy Swims, and Adam Lambert each took a song. Pitchfork noted that Troye Sivan was literally in the building and somehow not invited to sing “Father Figure.” Adam Lambert’s “Freedom! ’90” was the highlight—the only performance in that segment that matched the material’s scale.
Winners and Losers: An Incomplete Accounting
Madonna was the big winner of the night, taking home seven prizes out of thirteen nominations, including Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration (with Sabrina Carpenter), Best Dance, Best Album, Best Long Form Video, Best Cinematography, and Best Choreography. She also gave acceptance speeches that Page Six charitably called “rambling” and less charitably called “messy.” At one point she even admitted she had forgotten which trophy she was supposed to receive: “I’m Madonna. I can forget whatever I want.”
This might be a strange scoring system for a “record-breaking night”—but then history doesn’t account for conversion rates. Taylor Swift won three awards from eleven nominations, including the two most important—Video of the Year and the record-breaking Artist Director Honors.
BTS won Song of the Year for “Swim” and Best Group, continuing their global awards-show dominance without needing a Korean market narrative. Cardi B and Kehlani took Best Hip-Hop for “Safe.” Bruno Mars won Best R&B. Olivia Rodrigo won Best Alternative. Bad Bunny won Best Latin. Ella Langley won Best Country.
It is significant that the VMAs discontinued the Best Rock Video category this year, but continued to honor a rock band with the Video Vanguard Award. Such is the music industry of 2026: rock isn’t a genre anymore; it’s a legacy.
The Final Gossip
A screenshot went viral of Charli XCX sitting in the audience, expressionless, while Taylor Swift won something; and immediately the “feud” narrative spun around the web. The real story was that the screenshot was actually taken during Nirvana’s Video Vanguard acceptance speech. The truth is far less interesting than a meme.
Travis Kelce was absent from the red carpet—he had a Chiefs game in Miami. Taylor walked the carpet solo in a Tamara Ralph corset and silver slit skirt.
And Snoop Dogg’s “Deez Nuts” joke will be remembered not so much as a moment as a lesson: even the most seasoned entertainer can be handed a script that makes them look like they’re performing at a bar mitzvah.
The 2026 VMAs told us a few things: Madonna can still open a show better than anyone alive. Taylor Swift can still break a record without breaking a sweat. And “Deez Nuts” is still not funny. Some things change. Some things never do.
MARIO BOLLONE