MTV VMAs 2023 highlights: Taylor Swift ties record for most VMA wins in one night

According to a final tally of the MTV VMA winners, Taylor Swift ended up winning in nine of the 11 categories she was nominated in.

Swift is tied for most wins in one night and now the second most overall wins, according to MTV.

Here are the categories Swift won (not all of them were televised):

1. Video of the year (“Anti-Hero”)
2. Artist of the year
3. Song of the year (“Anti-Hero”)
4. Best pop (“Anti-Hero”)
5. Best direction (“Anti-Hero”)
6. Best cinematography (“Anti-Hero”)
7. Best visual effects (“Anti-Hero”)
8. Show of the summer
9. Album of the year ("Midnights")

The night ended with Taylor Swift winning video of the year but without the awards show's announcing the winners from 13 other categories.

By midnight ET, the VMAs' X account continued to announce some winners after the show had concluded.

Don't worry, we were just as confused as you all.

A spokesperson for the show did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

We thought we had quite a few categories to go, but the VMAs appears to have abruptly ended – after almost four hours – with the video of the year category.

Taylor Swift is clearly the hero of the night after she took home MTV’s most prestigious award: a win for “Anti-Hero” as video of the year.

The song has already won best pop, song of the year and best direction.

“This is unbelievable,” Swift said as she accepted the award. “I just want to say that the fact that this is a fan-voted award means so much to me. “

I have spent the last hour complaining about being tired, but I just danced in my little office chair like an idiot and sang "Mama Said Knock You Out" with all my heart.

Nothing like LL Cool J to bring the energy, honestly.

The commemoration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary has seen much fanfare, with museum exhibits dedicated to archiving the fashion and iconography of the genre, in addition to sprawling magazine packages paying tribute to legendary musicians and forgotten innovators alike.

The celebration continued today with Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five performing "The Message." Other rap royalty who hit the stage included DMC, Doug E. Fresh, LL Cool J, Lil Wayne and Nicki Minaj.

Minaj rapped the fan favorite "Itty Bitty Piggy," which the audience had no trouble filling in the lyrics for when she turned the mic to them. Chills!

My iPhone just hit me with a bedtime reminder at 11:29 p.m. ET, meaning I have officially passed my bedtime.

This isn't that different from watching the VMAs 20 years ago, I suppose.

“I just want to thank my munchkins,” Ice Spice said in her acceptance speech, also thanking her producer and label.

Far from a one-hit wonder, she has achieved meteoric success since the release of her viral 2022 hit “Munch.” The Bronx native known for her signature ginger curls and catchy ad-libs (“Like?”) collabed with Taylor Swift this year and snagged a coveted invitation to the 2023 Met Gala. She in ha mood!

It’s 8:15 p.m. in Los Angeles, and West Coast viewers are just getting their first taste of tonight’s never-ending show. Looks like MTV is intent on keeping everyone watching till midnight.

Swift is now tied for the most best direction awards in VMAs history, winning the award for her hit single "Anti-Hero."

She won the award last year for "All Too Well: The Short Film" and once more in 2020 for "The Man." It's gotta feel good for Swift, who recently said she aspires to direct a feature film one day.

It was Swift's third win tonight.

Remember when we thought the show was supposed to end by now ...

My favorite part of an awards night is when "drunk Taylor" starts to trend on X, the site formerly known as Twitter.

Now listen, we don't know what she was drinking.

But what's clear to us Swifties is she's just a girl in her 30s having a great night with friends — and her fans are loving it. The official Taylor Nation account retweeted a video of her struggling to get a drink out of her cupholder earlier with the caption "she's swift af boi."

Clips and screenshots of her dancing and cheering on her peers made the rounds online as fans celebrated her joy.

Alternative rock legends Fall Out Boy are onstage performing their updated version of Billy Joel’s “We Didn’t Start the Fire" in unusually boxy fits. The song blasts some of the most iconic moments of the last 30 years.

The 20-plus-year veterans are back on stage for the first time since 2007, when we all remember bassist Pete Wentz in his guyliner and tight jeans.

The emos (including me) can’t handle it.

After a big night for both artists, Karol G and Shakira snagged a Moon Man for their song "TQG."

This is Karol G's first VMAs. She got the crowd on their feet earlier in the night with her performance of "Tá OK" and "OKI DOKI."

Earlier, Shakira was honored with the Video Vanguard Award.

I love Fall Out Boy, but if you wanna talk about millennial triggers, this song is reminding me of AP U.S. History in the worst ways.

The entire music industry is happening over the course of 12 hours ... but actually four.

Nicki Minaj won her first VMA of the evening in the best hip-hop category for "Super Freaky Girl."

If anyone was expecting Minaj to "emcee" tonight, they're probably wondering where she's been. Her emcee duties may have been light so far, but she is going home with some hardware.

We knew the show may go over but ... this is definitely a longer evening than we thought.

And she doesn't appreciate them!

Introducing the Stray Kids' performance, Saweetie acknowledged her pre-show pink carpet slip-ups — and the internet's reactions to them.

"Y'all better stop making my last video go viral," she said. "I see what you're doing. Anyways, let's try it again."

Nigerian artist Rema won best Afrobeats for his remixed single “Calm Down” with Selena Gomez, which also surpassed a billion streams on Spotify this weekend.

"This means so much seeing Afrobeats grow this big," Rema said. "I will not forget to shout out the people who opened the doors to me. Shout out to Fela, who started Afrobeats in the first place," he added, referring to Fela Kuti, among contemporary stars including Burna Boy, Don Jazzy and Wizkid.

Gomez also took stage, thanking Rema for allowing her to be a part of the record.

Afrobeats has had an international fan base for a while (“Africa to the World!”). The musical genre fuses sounds of dancehall, African percussion, hip-hop and other acoustic art forms. 

The VMAs added a best Afrobeats category this year after the Grammys and the American Music Awards announced similar awards in recognition of African musicians. About time!

There appear to be more than 10 categories left tonight ... and more performances on deck. But only about 30 minutes left of the show.

The fast-paced performances and quick transitions couldn't seem to save the show from probably going over.

Sean "Diddy" Combs was honored with the global icon award.

“This is a dream come true,” he said while accepting the award. “I grew up watching MTV like ‘Man I wish I could be up there.’

The mogul rose to prominence in the ’90s producing for the late Notorious B.I.G. and later built a reputation as a formidable rapper with hits including “I’ll Be Missing You” (a tribute to Biggie).

"I started out as a paper boy, y’all, at 12, and then I was going to be a NFL football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers," he said in his speech. The team "didn’t know this, but I planned on being a football player; then my leg got broke."

Later in life, he said, people would see him dancing in New York City and cast him for videos.

"That’s how I fell in love with the music industry," he said, thanking industry executives, songwriters and the Bad Boy family.

Mary J. Blige introduced the accolade, crediting Diddy with launching her own career. “He is an incredible triumph. And nobody deserves to be called an icon more than this man.”

It’s a family affair.

One of Diddy's daughters, Chance, helped introduce the artist as he received his global icon award.

Sean "Diddy" Combs took the stage to perform hits like "I'll Be Missing You," one of his most popular hits from 1997, which is a reworking of the popular 1983 hit "Every Breath You Take" by the Police.

But that was just the beginning of his epic performance.

Combs, who is being honored with the global icon award, also sang "Bad Boy for Life" and "I Need a Girl Pt 2," just to name a few. He also brought out fellow artists like Keyshia Cole to perform "Last Night."

This is bringing me back!

Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift posed for a sweet photo together tonight, both looking unbelievable, I have to say.

These two are proof that boyfriends may come and go but a best friend is forever. They met when they started dating Jonas brothers as teenagers and have stuck together ever since.

Also, someone give Gomez's new stylist her flowers, because she is just stunning left and right lately.

The neck-breaking speed at which the performances and presenters were moving earlier in the night seems to be slowing down to a more sustainable pace, thankfully!

The highlight of the night has been the camaraderie and love among all the stars. And of course, the musicians, as always, have had stunning dance ensembles choreographed to a T.

So far, no mind-altering moments or provocative incidents have occurred. But the night is still young! Neither *NSYNC nor the storied hip-hop pioneers have taken the stage yet, so we shall see ...

Anitta, a beloved Brazilian artist, just beat out Bad Bunny, Shakira and Karol G for the best Latin award.

"I want to thank myself, because I work so hard, oh, my God," she said.

Earlier in the evening, she joked that she was hoping to take the moon person statue back with her to Brazil, because she keeps her first VMA award in her Miami house.

In anticipation of the release of "Pink Friday 2" in November, the rapper performed her latest single off the album "Last Time I Saw You" and debuted a new song.

Before he introduced Nicki Minaj's performance, Billy Porter turned around to give a shoutout to Taylor Swift, who was seated behind him.

He said he owes Swift for helping him receive his very own moon man when he starred in her music video for "You Need to Calm Down" in 2019. Porter is a #swiftie just like us.

He also congratulated Shakira on her award.

Shakira is taking home the MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award after she performed a career-spanning medley of her greatest hits — a tradition for the award's recipients.

The award is presented "in recognition of an artist's overall achievements in music and film but is sometimes handed out as a lifetime achievement award," according to MTV.

"Thank you, MTV, for being part of my career since I was 18 years old," Shakira said in her acceptance speech. She also thanked her creative partners who helped bring her music videos to life and her kids, whom she brought to the show.

Shakira, who performed at the VMAs for the first time in 14 years, is the first South American and the second Latina to win the award.

The Colombian pop star sold 95 million records worldwide, making her the best-selling artist of all time. She also won numerous awards, including four Moon Persons, three Grammys, 12 Latin Grammys and 41 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Shakira is putting on a 10-minute show-stopping performance featuring a medley of her greatest hits.

But viewers of the VMAs on social media began to wonder whether she is lip syncing. It's not uncommon for artists who have extreme dance routines to sing to a track.

Regardless, Shakira is a musical queen. Her hips don't lie, and we love her for it.

Can you type and dance at the same time? Asking for a friend.

The VMAs has struggled to find its footing in recent years, and it's becoming very apparent as the night goes on that it is relying very heavily on our collective nostalgia for the show.

However, an overreliance of nostalgia lends to a dearth of original culture. It's no wonder the VMAs lacks those iconic cultural moments these days — it is looking s much into the past that it is unable to drive culture into the future!

If one thing can be taken away from Doja Cat's music, it's that the star is unapologetic about doing whatever she wants.

She performed the single "Attention" off her forthcoming album with lyrics alluding to the pressures of being in the public eye ("Look at me/ Look at me / You lookin'?") Her dancers were covered in red paint, a nod to the title of her album, "Scarlet."

Plus Ice Spice gave a cute shoutout to Doja Cat before she went onstage, plugging that she will be joining the pop star on her latest tour!

Nostalgic or cheugy?

The 2000s icons presenting awards is starting to feel a little forced and dare I say — a little cheugy.

(Sorry to Ashanti.)

SZA's "Shirt" snagged the award for best R&B, but the singer wasn't present to accept the moon statue.

French Montana, a Moroccan American, announced he'll be creating an emergency fund for victims of the earthquake in Morocco.

"Before we get to the nominees, I want to spread some love and light to Morocco. They’ve been hit with a big earthquake," he said. "I’m setting up our emergency fund with globalcitizen.org/morocco, and I will be donating myself."

More than 2,900 people were killed in the earthquake that hit the North African country this weekend.

Taylor Swift wins her second VMA of the night for "Anti-Hero." For those counting, that’s 2/11.

She gave a shoutout to her producer, Jack Antonoff, and their first collaboration together, "1989," in her acceptance speech.

"We'll be making music together until 2089," she said.

About 45 minutes into the show and most of the NBC team live blogging agrees: How can there be any memorable moments if the show is going so fast?

As Uwa said on Slack, "it seems like its scheduled by the second." Added Kaetlyn, "This pace is for the TikTok generation."

Stray Kids took home the best K-Pop award for its single “S-Class."

“We’ve been making music ever since the start of our career, but to receive this award just really means a lot to us,” Bang Chan said.

This is the group’s first-ever VMA win, making it a big moment for members Bang Chan, Lee Know, Changbin, Hyunjin, Han, Felix, Seungmin and I.N.

“We really want to dedicate that award to the fans, as well,” Bang Chan said on the carpet ahead of the show.

I love that the VMAs are celebrating so many different genres of music, but these quick transitions are giving me whiplash. We moved on very quickly from Cardi B to Demi ... give her some applause!

Lovato has been returning to her pop-rock roots in recent years, and she performed rock versions of her three biggest hits at the VMAs.

The crowd went wild as she performed "Heart Attack," "Sorry Not Sorry" and "Cool for the Summer." All three songs will be in her coming album "Revamped," featuring 10 rock versions of her old songs.

We need the rerecording of "La La Land" now. Or another "Camp Rock" film.

When Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are on a track together, trust that it will be a song to remember.

The pair, who previously put out the provocative hit "WAP," performed their latest collaboration, "Bongos," with a tropical dance number in suit.

Editor's note: Please excuse us in advance if the live blog goes dark at some point during the show. If and when *NSYNC performs, the team will likely have passed out.

If our bosses are reading this, we're kidding.

Taylor Swift won the VMA for the best pop video.

Honestly, how deserved. This was a jampacked category with some stiff competition, but this was a much-talked-about hit.

"I'm not doing well pivoting from this to this," she said while accepting the award from *NSYNC. "I had your dolls. Are you doing something? What's going to happen now? They're going to do something, and I need to know what it is. You're pop personified — to receive this from your golden pop hands is really, it's too much."

She thanked the band for giving her friendship bracelets as she got onstage.

Taylor Swift was screaming over *NSYNC; she's just like me for real.

ICYMI: Wondering if it was intentional that the camera panned to Taylor Swift applauding as soon as Nicki Minaj mentioned Olivia?

It might sound crazy but it ain't no lie.

All five members *NSYNC have come together for the first time since 2013, when Justin Timberlake was honored with the VMAs Vanguard Award.

Timberlake was joined onstage tonight by Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez and Joey Fatone.

And mine at home because they are tearin' up my little millennial heart.

It's been rumored that the men are making new music together for Universal Pictures' coming "Trolls Band Together" film.

Part of the beauty of the VMAs is its unpredictability. Who would've thought a performance by Lil Wayne would be followed by Olivia Rodrigo?

Whiplash or an interesting blend of past and present stars?

Hot off the release of her sophomore album, "Guts," Rodrigo performed the lead single, "vampire," during the opening performance of the VMAs.

And those seemingly technical glitches? Not to worry — all a part of the show. Rodrigo re-created the stage issues from the "vampire" music video before she transitioned to the new fan favorite "get him back!" off "Guts."

My girl Slaylor Swift, the most nominated artist of the night, is officially in the house.

But her arrival was announced at the very end of the pre-show, so we didn't get any interview moments, but Swift did show off her look on the pink carpet.

In all black, I have to wonder whether she's re-entering her "reputation" era.

The legendary rapper Lil Wayne knows how to put on a show.

Tunechi had the audience on their feet, waving their hands in the air to an energetic rendition of his single "Uproar," followed by a performance of "Kat Food."

The VMAs are officially kicking off after a dazzling performance from Sabrina Carpenter during the pre-show.

So far, Tomorrow X Together and Dove Cameron have already taken home awards for push performance and video for good, respectively.

The singer brought her signature wit to the pre-show with a custom outro to "Nonsense" in honor of the VMAs.

"He say it bigger than a Moon Man / Guess that means I'm holding it with two hands / VMAs, I love you / I’m a huge fan,” she sang.

Real fans know she has a new outro for every occasion, and the VMAs are no different!

Dove Cameron's "Breakfast" took home the moon person for video for good.

“Telling meaningful messages in my music and in my videos is super important to me," Cameron said in her acceptance speech.

The video's concept, she previously told "TODAY," was a response to the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. "It’s unfair for one gender to carry the entirety of the weight of the reproductive conversation," she said.

In the music video, she and other women harass a male employee who is later shown getting an abortion. At the end, footage from marches is played in support of reproductive rights.

Viewers can choose among the top three nominees for best new artist using a Snapchat filter. The filter is called "Best New Artist Lens," and users can cast their votes by gesturing 1, 2 or 3 with their fingers.

The race for best new artist has narrowed to three contenders: Ice Spice, Reneé Rapp and Peso Pluma. Viewers can also vote on the VMAs website.

I love that the VMAs say they are "music's most iconic night." Not the most important, but definitely the most iconic.

Kelsea Ballerini is celebrating her birthday at the VMAs this year. The country singer said she's celebrating her 30th at the awards show.

"I’m overstimulated in every way," she said during the pre-show carpet interview. "But you know, listen, just to be able to perform on an all-genre show like this and represent country music hopefully well."

She said she's excited to be at the show with her boyfriend, Chase Stokes, and her mom.

“I feel like it’s been such a huge year in my personal life and my career, and I feel really happy to be able to just present that tonight on this show."

Tonight's proving that artists are fans just like us.

During the carpet pre-show, Karol G and Anitta expressed kind words for Shakira, whose Latin representation meant so much to them.

Karol G, a fellow Colombian, is nominated with Shakira for the best Latin award, while Anitta is competing against them both.

"I think Shakira for us was a big, big influence ... to make us believe that it's possible being a Latina and getting here and showing our culture and everything," Anitta said during the pre-show.

Personally, Shakira means a lot to me, too, as the daughter of Lebanese immigrants. My parents always pointed to her half-Lebanese heritage for an example for us in mainstream media.

During her pre-show interview, Shakira teased her performance that will encompass her decadeslong career.

"I think it's a pretty dynamic performance. I hope it's not too long," she said.

The Colombian pop star also shared her experience envisioning and creating her larger-than-life music videos.

"Videos are a way to express whatever I couldn't finish expressing with my lyrics. Visuals are so powerful," she said.

Shakira might worry the performance will be too long, but I think we'll all love it too much to think about the duration.

Tiffany Haddish promoted her song “Till The Club Closes” (with Lil Jon & Fivio Foreign) during her VMAs carpet appearance.

"I've been taking my savings and putting into the things I love," she said. "'I've been creating all this really great music."

She joked that the last time she partied until the club closed was four days ago, when she maybe took a nap in the club. 

I'd do the same.

Is it us, or does it feel like everyone doing interviews on the carpet seems excited to be at the VMAs because they grew up watching it?

Tomorrow X Together is the first to receive a VMA tonight, winning Push performance of the year for its song “Sugar Rush Ride.”

It's the South Korean boy band's first ever VMA win.

“Tonight is a night we will remember forever. Thank you VMAs,” Huening Kai said.

The group will debut its new song “Back for More” with Anitta later.

During a pre-show interview, Cardi B said “hip-hop is everything" to her.

She gave a shoutout to her hometown, the Bronx, the birthplace of the genre.

Tonight, there will be a celebratory performance commemorating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.

Cardi B also shared her appreciation for "Bongos" collaborator Megan Thee Stallion.

"We work so great together. She's hard-working. I'm hard-working. ... She trusts me, and I trust her," she said of their friendship.

The two rappers are also expected to perform their new single tonight. 

Is tonight going to be a nostalgia fest?

It already feels like the VMAs are leaning into (and possibly relying on?) nostalgia by previewing this hip-hop tribute and having Nelly perform alongside NLE Choppa.

Saweetie says her pink look, featuring a bone (?), is “fresh off the runway.” The inspiration is “caveman days” or “fashion when it first started.”

She kind of looks like the yassification of "The Flintstones," and we're here for it.

Not us gasping at Nelly performing "Hot In Herre." This millennial is feeling nostalgic.

Megan Thee Stallion is bringing hot girl energy in a custom Brandon Blackwood corset dress at the VMAs red carpet.

The rapper will be performing her new single "Bongos," featuring Cardi B, later tonight.

The pre-show has officially begun!

Hosted by Saweetie, the pre-show will actually reveal the night’s first big winners in addition to interviews as stars begin to arrive on the pink carpet.

Beloved boy band *NSYNC is rumored to be reuniting at the VMAs.

Fans are convinced that the group is dropping a new song for the third installment of the "Trolls" franchise and could be headed to the MTV awards show to promote it.

Justin Timberlake, the band's front-runner, has voiced Branch in the films. The film's trailer teased a storyline about a boy band called “Brozone" getting back together.

(“Trolls Band Together” is distributed by Universal Pictures and DreamWorks Animation. NBC News and Universal Pictures are both owned by NBCUniversal).

We hope they don't tear up our hearts and that this rumor is true.

Karol G showed up at the pink carpet with pink hair and an outfit I'm extremely jealous of.

Karol, who is nominated for the best Latin category tonight, showed up with a sheer gown and a matching coat that honestly looks really comfortable. The Colombian superstar just absolutely kills in this look.

Although she's competing against Bad Bunny and her collaborator Shakira, Karol G is a real contender tonight. Earlier this summer she broke a "TODAY" record by drawing more than 15,000 people to the plaza for the Citi Concert Series.

Olivia Rodrigo turned heads on the pink carpet with her sparkly outfit.

The pop star has made a lot of headlines lately with the release of her sophomore album, "Guts," and fan speculation surrounding who lyrics from some of the songs are about.

Many online continue to speculate that the "Driver's License" singer has a feud with Taylor Swift. The prolific female artists are up in several of the same categories this year — at a time when fans of both artists are relentlessly fanning the speculative flames.

In 2021, Rodrigo raved about meeting Swift in person. Swift also sent Rodrigo a special gift. But after the release of her first album, “Sour,” fans sensed a vibe shift. Rodrigo ended up giving Swift and Jack Antonoff co-writing credits on her songs “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” and “Deja Vu,” for which Rodrigo said she took inspiration from Swift’s “New Year’s Day” and “Cruel Summer,” respectively.

Since that first album’s release, Rodrigo has appeared to express less public adoration for Swift in social media posts.

In June, Rodrigo’s single “Vampire” prompted some to theorize that the song was inspired by Swift and the music industry. Asked about it by The Guardian, Rodrigo said she was “surprised” people thought it was about Swift.

In an interview with Rolling Stone published today, Rodrigo finally addressed the rumors directly. “I don’t have beef with anyone. I’m very chill. I keep to myself.”

It's a big year for Combs at the VMAs.

The artist will receive the third-ever Global Icon Award, which MTV says "celebrates an artist or band whose unparalleled career and continued influence have achieved a unique level of global success in music and beyond."

Past recipients are Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Combs, who is also nominated for four other awards, will also perform.

Yesterday, the New York Post published this hot take: "Why the MTV VMAs — once the hottest awards show around — don’t matter anymore." We, the NBC News team live blogging tonight, had some thoughts.

Doha: The VMAs are a casualty of a larger issue of awards shows slowly losing social relevance, either because they’re too polished or because social media makes celebrities less reliant on traditional platforms to make news. Even still, the VMAs are the most enjoyable show in the genre and the show most focused on fans.

Kaetlyn: It’s true that the VMAs might not “matter” as much as other awards shows, but that is exactly what makes them fun to watch. The VMAs don’t have the gravity of the Oscars or the Grammys. It’s not the biggest night in any industry, but that sets the celebs free in a way.

Brahmjot: I think the awards and categories themselves are unmemorable, but the VMAs have always been a pop culture gold mine for viewers to ogle, reminisce about and cringe at.

Angela: As MTV grows ever further removed from the way we consume music, I hope artists will take the VMAs as an opportunity to experiment more with live appearances even in the age of streaming.

Daysia: Once considered the night for iconic pop cultural moments, the VMAs are kind of in their flop era. When was the last time that the show truly delivered a provocative, dominating cultural moment? While it continues to provide solid live performances and has spawned a couple of memes in recent years, the awards show is losing touch with the culture. The issue could be that we’ve seen it all.

We can’t talk about jaw-dropping VMA moments without recounting Miley Cyrus’ 2013 performance of “Blurred Lines” with Robin Thicke.

Cyrus was in only a pair of latex underwear at one point during the song, thrusting against a foam finger between her legs and later twerking against Thicke’s crotch.

The scene was quite a scandal, and it was discussed in interviews for years. Cyrus was only two years out from the end of her Disney Channel show, “Hannah Montana,” and people seemed to take some issue with her dramatic change in image.

In an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Cyrus argued that no one seemed to take issue with Thicke even though he was well aware of the performance.

“I’ve just always been a very open person ... so I’ve tried to wrap my head around what a normal person thinks of the performance, and I can’t really understand where the shock comes from,” Cyrus said. “I know that sounds crazy, but ... I don’t see anything more than what any other artist did that night.”

Thicke told Oprah Winfrey that things can sometimes appear different during rehearsal and that the performance seemed more silly than sexual to him at the time.

“I guess I’m just not as normal as I thought I was,” he said. “I wasn’t offended by it personally, because I think some see that and they go, ‘This is so sexual.’ And to me, I’m sitting there going: ‘This is whacky. This is funny to me.’”

Awards shows are best remembered for their unscripted moments, including the 2000 VMAs, where a rockstar got arrested. Rage Against the Machine was nominated for best rock video but ultimately lost to Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff.”

As Limp Bizkit tried to accept the award, Rage Against the Machine bassist Tim Commerford climbed the scaffolding and sat on top of a large sculpture onstage. No one had any clue what was going on, though members of Limp Bizkit encouraged him to jump off the sculpture.

Toni Braxton and 98 Degrees stood dumbfounded as they went on to present the next award, and security was trying to get Commerford down.

Eventually Commerford was gotten down and arrested. Bandmate Tom Morello told Rolling Stone at the time that he felt police overreacted but that he believes Commerford was mistaken for a crazed fan.

In reality, he just didn’t like Limp Bizkit. Commerford told Rolling Stone in 2015 that he had only one regret.

“I wish I would’ve swung on that thing and brought it to the ground and just destroyed it,” he said. “If I could do it all over again, I would’ve ripped that thing to the ground and shredded it.”

There’s absolutely no argument that the most memorable VMA moment in history is the kiss heard ’round the world.

At the 2003 awards show, Madonna performed a mashup of her songs “Like A Virgin” and “Hollywood” with pop sensations Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera. At the very end, Madonna turned to Spears and kissed her before she turned to lay her lips on Aguilera, as well. 

Many people forget that Aguilera was also a part of the kiss, maybe because Spears got the shock value of being first. Either way, this is one image seared into pop culture history. 

Lady Gaga, she’s got the meat.

Lady Gaga offered the world one of the most bizarre red carpet looks in fashion history at the 2010 VMAs. Gaga arrived in a dress covered in meat.

Yes, actual raw meat.

Gaga recounted the look in an interview with British Vogue in 2021, explaining that the dress was actually a corset that had meat sewn into it. The outfit was a protest of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” a military policy that discriminated against queer service members and was ultimately repealed in 2011.

“We decided to do the meat dress because I thought to myself if you’re willing to die for your country, what does it matter how you identify?” Gaga said.

Onstage, Gaga announced the name of her coming album, “Born This Way,” and sang a snippet from the title track.

“How beautiful in my way, because God makes no mistakes. I’m on the right track, baby, I was born this way,” she sang in the dress.

The VMAs may only be an elder millennial, but the awards ceremony has some iconic pop culture moments that we won't forget. As NBC News' chief Swiftie, I can tell you all about one uncomfortable September night in 2009 with great detail, but I'll spare you every detail.

Taylor Swift had just won best female video for "You Belong With Me," her first VMA win, when Ye jumped onstage. Ye, the artist formally known as Kanye West, grabbed the mic from Swift as she was giving her thank you speech.

"Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you," he said. "Imma let you finish, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time."

People booed. Beyoncé looked visibly uncomfortable. And Swift was devastated. Beyoncé went on to win the video of the year award and offered her time to Swift, who returned to a standing ovation. Beyoncé and Swift never appeared to have any bad blood between them following the incident, though the same can't be said for Swift and Ye.

The moment unwittingly opened a series of events that included a presidential dis, two “SNL” monologues, a naked wax figure of Swift, an edited phone call clip, an online fan war and an album dedicated to Swift's reputation (which she'll be re-recording soon). But I'm not going to talk about that in my blog post! La la la la la!

• Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion will perform “Bongos”
• Lil Wayne will perform his new song, “Kat Food,” for the first time.
• Olivia Rodrigo
• Doja Cat
• Demi Lovato
• Kelsea Ballerini
• Karol G
• Stray Kids
• Tomorrow X Together
• Anitta
• Måneskin
• Fall Out Boy
• Shakira
• Diddy
• Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, LL Cool J, Darryl “D.M.C.” McDaniels, Doug E. Fresh and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five will also take the stage for a finale celebrating hip-hop’s 50th anniversary.

Read more about the star-studded list of performers and nominations on Today.com.

Shakira is being honored with the Video Vanguard Award. She will also perform at the awards show for the first time since 2006.

We expect, per usual, that her hips won't lie. But looks like she's got a lot more in store, per an Instagram post from last week in which she shared: "POV when you’re trying to cram an entire career into one #VMAs Vanguard performance."

• “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus
• “Vampire” by Olivia Rodrigo
• “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez
• “Unholy” by Sam Smith and Kim Petras
• “Bad Habit” by Steve Lacy
• “Kill Bill” by SZA
• “Anti-Hero” by Taylor Swift

Here are the 11 categories the Eras Tour queen is nominated for:

• Artist of the year
• Video of the year, for “Anti-Hero" (She's won this category three times in 2015, 2019 and 2022.)
• Song of the year
• Best pop
• Best direction
• Best cinematography
• Best visual effects
• Best editing
• Show of the summer
• Song of summer
• Album of the year

Technically, no one is "hosting" the VMAs this year. But Nicki Minaj is emceeing, as she did last year.

“Minaj will announce the show’s star-studded lineup of performers, presenters and winners," MTV said in a news release.

If that sounds like a hosting gig, that's because it kind of is, without the title.

According to a source at MTV familiar with the awards show, no one can labeled as a "host" because of the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

The ceremony will air live at 8 p.m. ET on MTV in more than 150 million countries.

For those of you who can't get enough of the celebs, the pre-show starts at 6:30 p.m. ET, and our live blog kicks off at 4 p.m.