NEW YORK: Taylor Swift broke records at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, as she is known to do.<\/p>\n
The pop powerhouse received the inaugural Artist Director Honors on Sunday night, becoming the most-awarded artist in VMA history.<\/p>\n
Previously, she was tied with Beyonc\u00e9 for the title, with 30 VMAs each. The new award is meant to recognize artists \u201cwhose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and advanced the art of visual storytelling.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI got to start making music videos and being a part of music videos 20 years ago,\u201d Swift said in her speech, adding that she\u2019s been involved in making roughly 60 music videos, 18 of which she wrote and directed.<\/p>\n \u201cYou, the fans, make it so much fun,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n She also took home the top prize of the night \u2014 video of the year \u2014 for \u201cThe Fate of Ophelia\u201d from her album \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl.\u201d<\/p>\n Swift dedicated that award to the \u201cultimate showgirl,\u201d the late Dolly Parton.<\/p>\n \u201cI think we were all very lucky to share this planet with Dolly Parton for a time,\u201d Swift said.<\/p>\n Taylor Swift debuts \u2018Patient Zero\u2019 music video<\/p>\n Swift also debuted the music video for her new song, \u201cPatient Zero,\u201d during the award show. She directed the visual, which stars Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson. Johnson and Swift portray mirror images of each other.<\/p>\n \u201cPatient Zero\u201d is also her first single since marrying Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden in July.<\/p>\n The two-hour show was broadcast live on CBS from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n Madonna opened the starry award show \u2014 and won big.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s mother,\u201d were the first words uttered by Madonna as she opened the VMAs with her 2026 single \u201cBring Your Love\u201d alongside collaborator Sabrina Carpenter. Later in the night, the pair won the award for best collaboration for the song.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a while since I did one of these things,\u201d Madonna joked. \u201cSo, I\u2019ve prepared nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n When it came time for her return to the stage to accept the award for artist of the year, Madonna began with, \u201cFirst of all, I would like to thank my fingers because I can always count on them.\u201d Returning a third time to accept for best dance, she said simply, \u201cI came alive on the dance floor. … We\u2019re all equal on the dance floor.\u201d<\/p>\n If her aim was to bring the dance floor to the award show stage, Madonna did exactly that in her opening number \u2014 and then some, when Charli xcx emerged from a club bathroom to perform their reworked version of \u201cDanceteria.\u201d Around them? A trove of dancers and various famous friends, including actor Debi Mazar, Sombr and Julia Garner.<\/p>\n The show, which was delayed 20 minutes by a tight NFL game, wasted no time getting heart rates up.<\/p>\n Snoop Dogg, a 13-time VMAs nominee and three-time winner, emerged as host shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n \u201cNow that is an icon,\u201d Dogg said of Madonna.<\/p>\n Teyana Taylor then presented the first award for best pop to LISA for \u201cDream,\u201d featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you MTV for this amazing award,\u201d she said while holding back tears. \u201cAll those late-night dreams brought me here today.\u201d It was a different scene about an hour later, when she returned to the stage for her hip-hop heavy hitter \u201cSawadika,\u201d which loosely translates to \u201cHello\u201d in her native Thai.<\/p>\n Performances include a tribute to Dolly Parton<\/p>\n There was always going to be a big musical tribute to Dolly Parton. Kacey Musgraves paid homage to the late, great country music icon with a cover of Parton\u2019s \u201cI Will Always Love You.\u201d<\/p>\n Parton, whose soaring vibrato vocals, poignant songwriting and sparkling costumes defined her rise from a log cabin in the Tennessee mountains to the height of stardom and acclaim, died in Nashville of cancer in August. She was 80.<\/p>\n Performances arrived fast and furious: Raye delivered a medley of her throwback soul, including \u201cI Will Overcome\u201d and \u201cWhere Is My Husband!\u201d<\/p>\n Bruno Mars slowed things down with \u201cDance With Me.\u201d Shaboozey launched into his saloon single \u201cCowgirl,\u201d before being joined by Gunna for some hybrid country-rap with their crossover track, \u201cHigh Noon.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSurvivor\u201d host Jeff Probst and actor Brandon Sklenar introduced the final performance of the night and arguably its best \u2013 a partial reenactment of GENER8ION and Yung Lean\u2019s \u201cSTORM\u201d music video \u2013 which began with Lean smashing a VMA \u2018Moon person\u2019 trophy.<\/p>\n Sienna Spiro belted out her \u201cGreat Expectation.\u201d It was a welcome introduction to the new talent, who was named best new artist shortly thereafter.<\/p>\n Orville Peck introduced a tribute to George Michael, who died 10 years ago on Christmas Day. He was 53.<\/p>\n Nirvana took home the 2026 Video Vanguard Award<\/p>\n If this year\u2019s VMAs felt too pop-heavy for some viewers, that changed when the coveted Video Vanguard Award was awarded to Nirvana.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were completely original and always fearless at a time when the status quo kind of got to the point of being formulaic,\u201d Public Enemy rapper Chuck D said of the grunge greats.<\/p>\n The award was presented to surviving members Krist Novoselic, Dave Grohl and Pat Smear. Frontman Kurt Cobain died in 1994.<\/p>\n \u201cKurt was one of one,\u201d Novoselic said in their acceptance speech, adding that the band never imagined its sound and aesthetic would resonate with so many people. He said the music continues to endure because people are still hungry for \u201csomething real, something uncompromising\u201d and a message that \u201cit\u2019s just OK to come as you are.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Taylor](\"https:\/\/assets.maestronewsroom.com\/media\/30f6532d-717b-4366-9158-9c455299fcd9\/1790574260770-4273a043028ed8a0.jpg\")
![\"Raye](\"https:\/\/assets.maestronewsroom.com\/media\/30f6532d-717b-4366-9158-9c455299fcd9\/1790574402120-48006f1020ba829d.jpg\")