A lot of the awards at the 2026 MTV VMAs on Sunday (Sept. 27) went pretty much as expected. We all knew Madonna was going to win best long-form video for Confessions II — The Film . Madonna had been the first winner in the category in 1991 for The Immaculate Collection , and a repeat win would make a nice bookend for her unparalleled VMAs career. Sure enough, she did win that award.
BTS ’ three wins, capping a big comeback year, were also expected.
But that doesn’t mean there were no snubs and surprises in the show, which ran a little over two hours.
Madonna opened the show in what was her first performance at the VMAs in 23 years. It was her fifth time opening the show, which set a new VMAs record.
There were two tributes to late, great artists. Kacey Musgraves performed a tribute to Dolly Parton. RAYE, SOMBR, Teddy Swims and Adam Lambert honored George Michael. In addition, Nirvana, which disbanded upon the suicide of lead singer and guitarist Kurt Cobain, received the video vanguard award.
Taylor Swift received the inaugural VMA Artist Director honors. In addition, the music video for Swift’s new single, “Patient Zero,” premiered at the awards.
Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the VMAs aired live from Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 27 (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. The show will also be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV. The VMAs were produced by Gunpowder & Sky. Van Toffler served as producer.
Here are some of the biggest snubs and surprises from the 2026 VMAs.
LISA won best pop for “Dream,” a video featuring Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi. She beat, among others, Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift, who have each won three times in the category. Grande was nominated for “Hate That I Made You Love Me”; Swift for “The Fate of Ophelia.” Both of those songs were No. 1 Hot 100 hits. “Dream” has not been a U.S. hit, though it was a hit in many other territories around the world.
The Thai rapper, singer, dancer, and actress is the second Asian pop act to win best pop. BTS won in 2020 for “On.”