MTV VMAs 2026: Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter and LISA steal show at star-studded awards in Los Angeles

Music is officially back on MTV, and the 2026 Video Music Awards are wasting absolutely no time.

Madonna has made her long-awaited return to the VMAs stage, Sabrina Carpenter has joined the Queen of Pop, LISA has already pulled off a massive win and Kacey Musgraves has delivered one of the night’s most emotional moments.

Hosted by Snoop Dogg in Los Angeles, this year’s ceremony has brought together some of music’s biggest names, with Madonna leading the field with 13 nominations ahead of Taylor Swift with 11.

And there is still plenty more to come.

Here are the biggest moments from the 2026 VMAs so far.

Madonna is back and she brought some friends

Football is over and Madonna is back.

The Queen of Pop returned to the VMAs stage for the first time in more than two decades and, naturally, she wasn’t coming alone.

Madonna opened the show alongside Sabrina Carpenter with their dance-floor anthem Bring Your Love, before Charli XCX joined the party for a remix of Danceteria.

Then things got even more chaotic.

Seth Rogen, rising star Sombr and Julia Garner all appeared during the star-studded opening, with Garner’s cameo particularly fitting after she was previously attached to play Madonna in a planned biopic.

And Madonna and Carpenter weren’t finished.

Bring Your Love later took out Best Collaboration, beating a field that included Clipse and Kendrick Lamar, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson, and Shakira and Burna Boy.

Madonna then revealed she initially struggled to get in touch with Carpenter about making the song.

“Everyone knows how impatient I am, and when five days passed and I still didn’t get connected with Sabrina and didn’t hear back from her about whether she wanted to do a song with me, I DM’d her,” Madonna said.

Icon behaviour.

LISA scores first bragging rights

BLACKPINK superstar LISA has already claimed one of the night’s major awards, taking out Best Pop for Dream.

And this was no easy category.

LISA faced Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae and Taylor Swift for the Moon Person.

Consider K-pop’s power very much alive and well.

RAYE reminds everyone about those vocals

Then came RAYE.

The British star stripped things right back with I Will Overcome before launching into Where Is My Husband! and reminding everyone exactly why she has become one of music’s most talked-about voices.

No gimmicks required. Just vocals.

Dolly Parton remembered

The party briefly stopped for one of the most emotional moments of the ceremony.

One month after Dolly Parton’s death, Kacey Musgraves took to the stage to honour the country music legend with a rendition of I Will Always Love You.

It was a markedly quieter moment in a night otherwise packed with spectacle.

Shaboozey then had the unenviable job of lifting the energy again, transforming the stage with an elaborate Western-themed performance.

And there’s still Taylor Swift...

One of the biggest moments of the VMAs is still looming.

Taylor Swift is set to premiere the music video for Patient Zero, starring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson, while also becoming the inaugural recipient of MTV’s Artist Director Honors.

With Madonna already making her presence very loudly known, Swift still to have her major moment and plenty of Moon People left to hand out, this year’s VMAs are far from finished.