Madonna and Taylor Swift Lead 2026 MTV VMAs
publishers 86articles 141first reported 27 Sep, 11:00 UTCdeveloping since 27 Sep · 4 editionstop 25 #4
Madonna and Taylor Swift were among the top winners at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday in downtown Los Angeles.
Madonna returned to the VMAs stage for the first time in more than 20 years, performing “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter before joining Charli XCX for “Danceteria.” “Bring Your Love” won Best Collaboration, and Madonna was named Artist of the Year.
Swift received the inaugural Artist Director Honor, an award organizers said recognizes artists whose work behind the camera has advanced music-video storytelling. She also won Video of the Year and premiered the video for her new single, “Patient Zero,” featuring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell. CBS News reported that Swift collected three awards, bringing her career total to 33 and surpassing Beyoncé as the most-awarded artist in VMAs history.
Other highlights included Kacey Musgraves performing “I Will Always Love You” after the VMAs played a short video of Dolly Parton, who died last month. LISA gave the television debut of her single “SaWaDiKa” and won Best Pop for “Dream feat. Kentaro Sakaguchi.” The surviving members of Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award, accompanied by a tribute featuring archival footage of Kurt Cobain discussing the band’s music videos.
HOW THIS STORY WAS MADE
Written from 8 articles, 2 with the publisher's own text; 7 independent newsrooms once syndicated copies count as one; this version written 30 h after the record first saw the story; the editor revised it.
- Publishers
- 86
- Source articles
- 141
- Given to the writer
- 8, 2 with the article's own text
- Independent newsrooms
- 7
- This version written
- 30 h after the record first saw the story
- Second model (editor)
- revised
- Publication gate
- passed
- Human review
- none
Written by a language model from the sources above, then checked by a second model that may only cut, attribute or correct. How it works →