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The MTV Music Video Awards are set to take place tonight with some of the biggest names in music heading down to the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, in the hopes of taking home a coveted trophy.
Fresh from her starring role in Wednesday, Lady Gaga will be performing at this year’s VMAs, alongside Sabrina Carpenter and Mariah Carey, while Netflix record-breakers Huntr/X are among the presenters.
The breakout stars from Kpop Demon Hunters are also tipped to win song of the summer, but they have stiff competition from names including Sabrina, Justin Bieber, Chappell Roan, Demi Lovato, Doja Cat, Morgan Wallen and Tate McRae for the trophy.
Meanwhile, BLACKPINK, Backstreet Boys, Evanescence, Coldplay, the Jonas Brothers and KATSEYE are some of the stars battling it out for the best group award.
It could be a big night for Gaga, who is leading the pack with 12 nominations, with Bruno Mars, Kendrick Lamar, Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish also in the mix.
It was recently announced that Aerosmith rockers Steven Tyler and Joe Perry are joining forced with Yungblud and Nuno Bettencourt for a tribute medley of Ozzy Osbourne’s biggest hits, following the music legend’s death in July.
With all the signs suggesting that it will be another must-watch ceremony, we’ve taken a stroll down memory lane to unpack some of the wildest, and most legendary, times in VMAs history.
Britney Spears and Madonna (and Christina Aguilera) kiss – 2003
While a LOT has happened since, there is no denying that the kiss between Madonna and Britney – and also Christina Aguilera – has gone on to become the most famous MTV moment ever.
It all began with Brit and Christina uniting on stage for a performance of Like A Virgin when they were joined by the Queen of Pop herself, who lent in for a kiss with the Toxic musician, before doing the same with the Beautiful icon.
The audience members went into meltdown over the scenes, as did those watching on from home, and Madge previously suggested that they could reenact the infamous smooch.
‘Hell yeah. I’ve got to. Stadiums baby,’ she told fans during an Instagram live session in 2022 when asked about future tour plans. ‘Me and Britney, what about that? It would be really cool.
‘We could reenact the original kiss.’
Over to you, Brit…
Kanye West interrupts Taylor Swift on stage – 2009
In one of the most famous live TV shocks of all time, everyone was pretty much stunned into silence in 2009 when Taylor Swift won the coveted best video award for You Belong With Me, leading to Kanye West interrupting her on stage during her acceptance speech.
He stormed up in front of the star-studded crowd, grabbed the microphone and declared that Beyonce should have won over her.
‘I’m really happy for you, I’m gonna let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time,’ he uttered as she stood awkwardly beside him, clutching her moon man.
They briefly buried the hatchet and found a friendship when Taylor presented Kanye with the Video Vanguard Award in 2015, but things between the pair turned sour again soon after – the Shake It Off singer appeared to make digs at the rapper and their history during her recent Eras tour.
Fifth Harmony get shady – 2017
Fifth Harmony had everyone talking when then they performed at the annual ceremony in 2017 shortly after Camila Cabello left the group.
Remaining members Ally Brooke, Dinah Jane, Lauren Jauregui and Normani Kordei had previously released a statement on her exit, sharing their hurt over how things had transpired and sadness over ‘the way she and her team handled’ it, but vowed that they wished her ‘all the best’.
However, their performance of Down a few months later was dripping in shade when they appeared on stage with five members – before one of the group was ‘thrown off the stage’.
Fans on social media quickly came to the conclusion over the identity of that fallen member…
Fast forward to just a few days ago, Camila proved that she has no ill will to her former bandmates after supporting their recent reunion at a Jonas Brothers concert – confirming there is officially no feud.
Miley Cyrus twerking on Robin Thicke – 2013
Miley Cyrus has become a staple of the ceremony over the years and has racked up countless nominations, but she raised eyebrows around the world with her raunchy performance in 2013.
During her rendition of We Can’t Stop, she sang with Robin Thicke before stripping down to a nude PVC two-piece and twerking on her fellow singer, leading to intense public scrutiny.
‘Not only was culture changed, but my life and career were changed forever,’ she told Wonderland while reflecting on the scenes.
‘It inspired me to use my platform for something much bigger. If the world is going to focus on me and what I am doing, then what I am doing should be impactful and it should be great.’
Nicki Minaj wanting to know ‘what’s good’ with Miley – 2015
Two years later, Miley found herself embroiled in yet more controversy when she had described Nicki Minaj as ‘not too kind’ in an interview, just before hosting the ceremony – which led to Nicki questioning her on stage in front of the entire world while collecting the best hip hop video award.
‘Now, back to this b***h that had a lot to say about me the other day in the press,’ she said. ‘Miley, what’s good?!’
Without skipping a beat, the Hannah Montana icon replied: ‘Nicki, congratu-f**king-lations.’
Beyonce announces her pregnancy – 2011
It hasn’t always been a drama-fest as Beyonce famously used her appearance at the VMAs in 2011 to spread some cheer by announcing her first pregnancy.
Following her sensational performance of Love On Top, the Cuff It musician not-so-subtly took a second to rub her growing baby bump, confirming that she was set to welcome a child with husband Jay-Z.
Of course, she topped this a few years later by breaking the internet with a photoshoot to share the news that she was pregnant with twins, but it was a sensational moment nonetheless.
Lady Gaga’s blood-splattered song – 2009
Lady Gaga is no stranger to incredible performances but her rendition of Paparazzi in 2009 is definitely one of her most out-there moments – and that is saying a lot…
Partway through the track, fake blood began gushing out of her body before she dramatically collapsed, and was hoisted up on a rope by her dancers.
Unpacking the surreal performance in her 2017 documentary, she declared: ‘If I’m going to be sexy on the VMAs and sing about the paparazzi, I’m going to do it while bleeding to death and reminding you of what fame did to Marilyn Monroe, the original Norma Jean.
‘And what it did to Anna Nicole Smith.’
The following year, Gaga hit the red carpet in a jaw-dropping outfit made entirely of raw meat and had to ask for Cher to ‘hold my meat purse’ when she collected the best video award on stage.
No, that is not a euphemism but an actual purse made of meat that only she could ever dream of getting away with…
Britney dancing with a snake – 2001
Two years before her kiss with Madonna, Britney made sure the world knew how effortlessly she could put on a sensational show as she hit the stage with a 7ft albino Burmese python in 2001, while belting out I’m A Slave 4 U.
Many others would have run for the exit door at the mere sight of the snake, nicknamed Banana, but Brit proved she was a total pro with the stunt, which has gone down in awards show history and is considered one of her most iconic performances.
In 2021, she paid homage to the moment on the 20-year anniversary in true form, by dressing up in a green reptile print suit and posing on Instagram.
‘I held a snake at the @VMAs one time but decided to go ahead 20 years later and become the mother**king snake myself,’ she said at the time.
Never change, Britney…
Madonna’s Like A Virgin performance – 1984
Madonna has had some intense stage moments over the years, including her infamous trip at the Brit Awards in 2015, but none will be as chaotic as her Like A Virgin performance at the very first VMAs in 1984.
She truly set the tempo for all the chaos in years to come when she walked down steps in a wedding dress, but ended up losing her shoes mid-performance, causing her dress to flip up and expose her bum as she attempted to rescue her pumps.
‘It turned out that the controversial thing wasn’t the song itself but my performance at the MTV Awards, the first MTV Awards,’ she told Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.
‘I walked down these very steep stairs of a wedding cake. I got to the bottom, and started dancing around, and my white stiletto pumps fell off.
‘I was trying to do this smooth move, dive for the shoe and make it look like it was choreography. My dress flipped up and my butt was showing.
‘Can you imagine? Those were the days when you shouldn’t show your butt to have a career. Now it’s the opposite… It happened by accident, I didn’t even know my butt was showing.’
With the 2025 ceremony kicking off in just a few hours, we can’t wait to see what makes the list this year…
This article was first published in September 2024.
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