The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards are returning to Los Angeles with Madonna and Taylor Swift poised to make history, Snoop Dogg taking over as host, and a performance lineup spanning pop royalty, K-pop, and some of the year's biggest emerging artists.
The ceremony will take place Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, marking the VMAs' first West Coast edition since 2017.
CBS and MTV will broadcast the show live from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET, or 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. PT. In the United States, Paramount+ Premium subscribers will be able to stream it live and watch it on demand. The ceremony will become available globally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.
Snoop Dogg will host the VMAs for the first time. The rapper and entertainment mogul is a 13-time nominee and three-time winner whose history with the ceremony includes performances with Eminem, Dr. Dre and tributes to the Notorious B.I.G.
Madonna leads the complete field with 13 nominations after MTV added the social categories of Best Album and Best Long Form Video. She initially received 11 competitive nominations, including Video of the Year for "Confessions II - The Film," Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for "Bring Your Love," her collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter.
Taylor Swift follows with 11 total nominations after the addition of Best Album for The Life of a Showgirl and Song of Summer for "I Knew It, I Knew You." Her original nine nominations include Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for "The Fate of Ophelia."
Swift is also scheduled to receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, an award recognizing recording artists whose work behind the camera has expanded music video storytelling. The honor will raise her career total to 31 VMAs, breaking her tie with Beyoncé and making Swift the most-awarded artist in the ceremony's history.
Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter received seven nominations each. Bruno Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson earned five apiece, while Lisa received four. Shakira and Tate McRae collected three each.
The six nominees for Video of the Year are Ariana Grande for "Hate That I Made You Love Me," Bruno Mars for "I Just Might," GENER8ION featuring Yung Lean for "Storm," Madonna for "Confessions II - The Film," Sabrina Carpenter for "Tears" and Swift for "The Fate of Ophelia."
The Artist of the Year field includes Grande, Mars, Carpenter, Madonna, Swift and Morgan Wallen. The ceremony also features 26 first-time nominees, including CORTIS, Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Sienna Spiro and Yung Lean.
Madonna will open the telecast with her first VMA performance in 23 years. Her last musical appearance at the ceremony came in 2003, when she performed with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott in what became one of the most discussed moments in VMA history.
Lisa will debut her new single "SaWaDiKa" on television, while RAYE and Best New Artist nominee Sienna Spiro will make their first VMA performances. Shaboozey and Gunna are scheduled to perform "Cowgirl," and GENER8ION and Yung Lean will premiere "Storm II."
Nirvana will receive the Video Vanguard Award, recognizing the band's influence on music, visual culture and MTV. The honor comes 34 years after Nirvana made its first VMA appearance in 1992.
Fan voting in 13 principal categories remains open at vote.mtv.com until Friday, Sept. 25, at 6 p.m. ET, except for Best New Artist, which will remain open into the ceremony. Voting for the social categories is taking place separately through MTV's Instagram Stories on category-specific schedules.
