The MTV Video Music Awards turn 40 this year, and they're feeling nostalgic. Lots of old rappers, for one thing, at a show opened by Eminem and closed by LL Cool J, celebrating Def Jam's 40th anniversary. But that's not the only reason this year's awards felt more mature, with a Lenny Kravitz/Quavo team-up straight out of the Grammys playbook, a special appearance by TRLCarson Daly (who said he returned to the VMAs mainly because the event was held at the arena of his and his children's favorite hockey team) and flashbacks (Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley!) aimed squarely at the parents of the target audience.
Honestly, the entire three-plus-hour show felt more subdued than usual: Less choppy editing, fewer audience shots, hardly any reactions from Taylor Swift. (Last year, we watched her react to almost the whole thing.) Of course, Swift went home with the first night and latest awards, winning Best Collaboration and Video of the Year (and more) for her self-directed “Fifteen Days” video with Post Malone, just 24 hours after making headlines for her endorsement of Kamala Harris.
Everyone here is media-trained, but this year's VMAs were considered especially safe for work. That's thanks in part to first-time host Megan Thee Stallion, who certainly has a long TV career ahead of her, as well as a very big new Pepsi ad featuring Beyoncé, Britney and P!nk's classic dueling. Even for a show that regularly displays advertiser logos on stage, the marketing tie-ins were inevitable (from Big Sean: “We love Doritos”). Scan to order your VMA Whopper Meal and read on for our best and worst looks from music's most sensational night.
– Anna Gakka
The best
Give Sabrina Carpenter a double
She works late because she's a singer! As she descended from the rafters, in a diamond-shaped swing (how many carats is that?), Sabrina Carpenter sang delightfully, undeniably live, if a little ostentatious, eliciting a rapturous reception with a medley of “Please Please Please,” “Taste “, and that I espresso. He also kissed a sexy blue alien for some reason, although, at the VMAs, the interior of a light-up store full of breakdancing astronauts is perfectly in keeping with the tenor of the occasion. If only ours Short n' Sweet The Queen's set wasn't… so short.
