The year 2026 MTV Video Music Awards audiences woke up on Sunday night as Madonna belted out high-energy dance numbers and Taylor Swift made history.
Here are the highlights from the 2026 VMAs.
Madonna performs with Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX
Madonna took the VMAs stage at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, her first time performing at the award show in more than 20 years, declaring: “It’s a mother.
She opened the show with iconic new images from her recent album, “Confessions II,” including green lasers and hordes of cameras following her and Sabrina Carpenter around.
The two performed “Bring Your Love” together, which later won Best Collaboration, before Madonna moved into another dance-fueled club number, Charli XCX’s “Danceteria.” The show featured several stars who had cameos in “Confessions II – The Film,” including Debi Mazar and Julia Garner.
Madonna later took home Artist of the Year.
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Kacey Musgraves pays homage to Dolly Parton
Matthew Taplinger/CBS via Getty Images 
Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to him Dolly Parton on Sunday after the VMAs played a short video of the late country music superstar. Musgraves sang “I Will Always Love You,” Parton’s 1974 song that took on a second life when it was later recorded by the late Whitney Houston.
Parton, one of the most innovative and successful musicians in the history of country music, died last month after a short battle with cancer.
LISA plays “SaWaDiKa”
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K-Pop star LISA performed her new single “SaWaDiKa” in the TV premiere of the song. As part of the show, the singer rode in front of Thailand’s iconic tuk-tuk taxi.
Earlier in the night, she accepted the Best Pop award for “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi.”
Nirvana accepts the Video Vanguard award
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The remaining members of genre-defining grunge band Nirvana received the Video Vanguard award, recognizing their contribution to the form.
The tribute included archival footage of late frontman Kurt Cobain discussing the process behind making several of the band’s videos, including “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” “Come As You Are” and “Heart-Shaped Box.”
Taylor Swift Makes VMAs History, Debuts “Patient Zero” Music Video.
The VMAs also provided a milestone for Taylor Swiftwho received the honor as the first Artist Director at the VMAs, which organizers said recognizes artists “who work behind the camera to expand the possibilities of music video and advance the art of visual storytelling.”
Swift thanked her fans and everyone she’s ever collaborated with on her music videos. She then made the first music video for her new album “Patient Zero,” which stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.
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With the new award, in addition to her other wins on Sunday night, Swift became the most decorated artist of all time with 33 VMAs. She was previously linked to Beyoncé, who has 30 Moon Persons.
Swift also won Video of the Year and Best Direction, and was nominated in nine other categories, and she paid tribute to “the ultimate showgirl” Dolly Parton in her acceptance speech for the final award of the evening.
“I think we were all very lucky to share this planet with Dolly Parton for a while,” she said.
Madonna wins big
In addition to her opening performance, Madonna also collected a series of Moon Persons on Sunday.
The Queen of Pop was nominated in 13 categories, the most of any artist, and took home seven wins: Artist of the Year, Best Collaboration, Best Dance, Best Long-Form Video, Best Album, Best Cinematography and Best Choreography.
She now has 27 VMAs over her career.
“It’s been a while since I’ve done one of those things,” Madonna said as she accepted her first award of the evening. “So, I haven’t prepared anything.”
Later, when she accepted the Artist of the Year award, she joked, “First of all, I’d like to thank my fingers because I can always count on them.”
Swift’s three awards, including the Director Artist Honor, tied her with K-Pop stars BTS for the second-biggest award of the night.