Madonna and Taylor Swift Sweep the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards
Por Miriam Gonzalez ·
Taylor Swift took home the night’s top award and set a record as the most-awarded artist in VMA history, while Madonna swept the category as Artist of the Year at these pop culture awards.
“I want to thank and dedicate this award to one person, without whom none of this would be happening. That person is the ultimate ‘showgirl’ (vedette in Spanish), Dolly Parton,” Swift said as she accepted the Video of the Year award for ‘The Fate of Ophelia.’
“Every song she wrote—her storytelling was so vivid and so rich that listening to her songs was like watching the best music video you’ve ever seen in your life,” the singer added about the recently deceased performer of “9 to 5.”
Swift also thanked her collaborators, singling out Mexican cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto, who worked on *The Fate of Ophelia*.
On Sunday, the pop star surpassed Beyoncé as the most-awarded artist in the history of the MTV VMA (Music Video Awards) after a shared reign in which both had accumulated 30 awards, and she premiered the video for her latest single, “Patient Zero.”
Madonna also stole the spotlight with her return to the VMA stage after 23 years, with a performance that evoked the wildness and freedom of a nightclub and in which she reunited two of the industry’s most prominent singers: Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX to perform songs like “Bring Your Love” and “Danceteria Afterhours.”
Along with Carpenter, Madonna won the award for Best Pop Collaboration and Best Dance for the short film “Confessions II – The Film,” which encapsulates the concept of her latest project.
It was a great night for Thai singer Lisa, who not only transported the audience to her home country with her performance of “Sawadika,” but also made history as the first K-pop and Asian solo artist to win Best Pop.
British singer Sienna Spiro won the award for Best New Artist and made her stage debut with her signature retro look.
Many of the awards—which were hosted this time by rapper Snoop Dogg—were not televised and were announced later, as was the case with Best Latin Artist, which was won by Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny for his single “NUEVAYoL,” and Best Album, also awarded to Madonna for “Confessions II.”
Other explosive performances at this year’s event included Shaboozy, who set a Midwestern-themed bar ablaze while singing “Cowgirl”; and Raye, who flooded the stage with red to showcase her vocal range in a dramatic and entertaining performance of her hit “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!”.
Dolly Parton, Nirvana, and George Michael, in addition to Madonna and Taylor Swift
Swift wasn’t the only one to pay tribute to Parton; before her performance, American singer Kacey Musgraves performed “I Will Always Love You,” one of the star’s most memorable hits.
Parton also appeared on screen for a few moments, singing snippets of the song before Musgraves continued with the number.
For their part, the ’90s grunge band Nirvana received the Video Vanguard Award, and founding drummer Dave Grohl, founding bassist Krist Novoselic, and Pat Smear, the band’s guitarist during its final years, took the stage to accept it.
“Kurt was one of a kind,” Smear said of the late lead singer Kurt Cobain.
“Nirvana is still relevant today because people are hungry for authenticity—for something real and uncompromising, something that tells you, ‘Come as you are.’ Kurt would have loved that legacy,” he added.
The tribute segment concluded with songs such as “Faith,” performed by Sombr, and “Careless Whisper,” performed by Teddy Swims, in honor of the tenth anniversary of George Michael’s death.
“Show love, spread love, and give love,” were the words with which California native Snoop Dogg closed the gala at this year’s VMAs, which were held in Los Angeles for the first time in nine years, according to Agencia EFE.
Here you can watch Madonna’s performance at the MTV Video Music Awards.