On Sunday, Sept. 27, MTV presented the 2026 Video Music Awards. The award show was hosted by Hip-hop legend, Snoop Dogg along with several performances including LISA, Bruno Mars, and Madonna. Among great performances, the show was full of awards, speeches, and heartfelt tributes.
The show opened with Madonna, who performed her songs “Bring Your Love” and “Danceteria Afterhours” featuring Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX. It is no secret that Madonna can give a performance, however there was just too much chaos to really enjoy the music.
After Snoop Dogg made his host introduction, singer and actress Teyana Taylor presented the first award of the night to LISA for “Best Pop” for her track “Dream”. Although LISA is a very talented musician, Sabrina Carpenter’s track “House Tour” would have been a better fit.
RAYE and Bruno Mars each delivered a unique and entertaining performance. RAYE performed her hit track “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!” and served the audience with amazing energy. Mars performed his song “Dance With Me” giving the audience all the feels.
Country star Kacey Musgraves honored the Country music legend, Dolly Parton by beautifully singing her iconic hit “I Will Always Love You”. It was a very sweet and emotional way to honor the late icon.
Country singer Shaboozey delivered a very eccentric performance of his new song “High Noon” featuring Gunna. It was an entertaining performance, but the two mens’ energy was mediocre.
Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter unfortunately took home the award for “Best Collaboration” for “Bring Your Love” when Pinkpantheress and Zara Larsson were clearly the better option for their hit song, “Stateside”.
Blackpink’s LISA performed her song “SaWaDika”. Her performance was by far the best performance of the night. While the song itself was subpar, the choreography, outfits, stage setting, and her overall stage presence made the performance outstanding.
Madonna was presented the award for Artist of the Year. Even though she is a great artist, this award did not need to be added to her collection. Bruno Mars, whose album “The Romantic” did exceptionally well, would have been the better recipient for this award.
English singer, Sienna Spiro made her Video Music Awards debut, with her track “Great Expectation”. It was a beautiful performance, however, it would have been even better if she had performed her hit song, “Die On This Hill” instead.
Dakota Johnson presented Taylor Swift with the “Artist Director Honor” award. This was a special award honored to Swift due to the very thought-out, profound music videos she directed herself. Even someone who is not a big Taylor Swift fan can recognize the artistry in her music videos, which made this honor very deserving.
The “Opalite” singer even premiered the music video for her new song “Patient Zero” featuring actors Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell. The video was very well-directed, but slightly confusing with the song sounding very similar to her other tracks.
Moving along, English popstars Charli XCX and Troye Sivan presented the award for “Best Dance” to… Madonna. This was Madonna’s third and final time accepting an award on stage. This award Madonna seemed the best fit for due to the music video of “Confessions II- The Film,” which she won for.
The tribute to the late George Michael included singer Sombr delivering an energetic rendition of “Faith” and “Father Figure,” while RAYE added a gospel-inspired twist to “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me).” Teddy Swims put his soulful stamp on “Careless Whisper,” and Adam Lambert closed the tribute with a powerful performance of “Freedom! ’90,” creating a lively celebration of Michael’s legacy.
The Best New Artist award was presented by last year’s winner, Alex Warren to Sienna Spiro. The singer’s reaction to winning was priceless, as the audience could truly feel her shock and gratitude.
Swedish rapper Yung Lean made his Video Music Awards debut with the premier of his new song “Storm II” with GENER8ION. The choreography and synchronization of the dancers was very entertaining, however, Lean made the strange choice to spit and shove his ice cream into the camera.
Lastly, the host Snoop Dogg presented the final award of the night, Video of the Year, to Taylor Swift for “The Fate of Ophelia”. This win was neither disappointing nor exciting. Although, it was a nice gesture of Swift to dedicate her award to the late Dolly Parton.
The 2026 VMAs weren’t the most memorable, but strong performances and exciting wins kept the show entertaining. Madonna’s multiple wins felt excessive with so many rising stars deserving recognition, while Snoop Dogg was a safe but underwhelming host. Still, the VMAs were an enjoyable watch overall.
