The 2026 MTV VMAs took over the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, and the nomination leaderboard was a full-on superstar pileup. Madonna came in with 13 nominations, the most of anyone, followed by Taylor Swift with 11, Sabrina Carpenter with 9 and Ariana Grande with 8. Snoop Dogg handled hosting duties, and Madonna kicked off the night with an opening performance.
The upset of the evening came in Best Pop, where LISA, featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi, won for“Dream”over Swift, Grande and Carpenter. Nirvana was honored with the Video Vanguard Award, and the show made room for tribute performances celebrating Dolly Parton and George Michael. Taylor Swift also used the night to premiere her“Patient Zero”music video, which features Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell.
The full winners list is still being updated, so expect more results to roll in. Between the Madonna vs. Taylor nomination race, LISA’s win and Swift’s video debut, there’s plenty to argue about at brunch this week. Which VMA moment are you still thinking about?
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.