The 2025 MTV VMAs ceremony was held on a night already packed to the rafters with major sporting events and concerts, including a few headlined by the award show’s top nominees.
Such was the case with Lady Gaga, who snuck in at the last minute to accept her Artist of the Year trophy at the UBS Arena in Long Island before scuttling back to Madison Square Garden, New York, for the latest stop on her Mayhem Ball tour.
Gaga scooped one of Sunday night’s (7 September) biggest prizes over Taylor Swift, who skipped the ceremony as she prepares to release her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, next month. Despite the absence of pop’s biggest star, the VMAs marched on with some thrilling live performances from more of the most exciting names in music.
Host LL Cool J kicked off the ceremony, which was the first VMAs to be broadcast live on CBS. “Music is the force that brings us all together,” the rapper said in his opening monologue; a statement that continued to ring true throughout the evening.
Then Gaga — who led the pack with 12 nominations — made her surprise appearance to accept the Artist of the Year award. The arena erupted into shouts and applause as she snuck into the venue and took her seat in the front row, next to fellow nominee Ariana Grande.
Accepting her award, which she dedicated to her fans, the “Born This Way” singer said: “I hope as you navigate through the mayhem of daily life, you are reminded of the importance of the art of your life that you can count on yourself and your simple skills to keep you whole.”
Later in the broadcast, Gaga was filmed performing live from the Garden — the start time of which was delayed to accommodate her VMAs appearance.
Grande was another statement-maker throughout the evening as she presented and accepted multiple awards — each in a different outfit. A pop star in her own right before the Wicked movie catapulted her fame into the stratosphere, Grande garnered the loudest cheers of the evening on multiple occasions.
Accepting the award for Best Pop Song, she cast a spotlight on those responsible for bringing these award-winning music videos to life.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 30-day free trial. Terms apply.
Try for free
ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
“These videos that mean so much and define us as artists forever take a village, so I would really like to thank the village,” she said, before rattling off dozens of industry names.
To cap off that speech, she delivered one of the most meme-worthy moments of the evening, declaring: “Thank you to my therapists and gay people. I love you.”
Grande introduced Mariah Carey, who was honored with the evening’s marquee trophy: the Vanguard Award.
Prior to delivering her acceptance speech, Carey paraded around the stage in a sparkling champagne-colored ensemble as she belted out some of her biggest hits, including “Heartbreaker” and “We Belong Together.”
While her lackluster stage presence and unenthused energy failed to win viewers over, she owned the moment without trying too hard as she was led by her dancers from mark to mark in true diva fashion.
Sabrina Carpenter, who took home three awards, made one of the more overtly political statements of the evening. While performing her new song “Tears”, from her recently released album Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter was flanked by drag queens carrying signs that said, among other things, “In trans we trust” and “Protest Trans Rights.”
Against a backdrop of a bustling city scene evoking the 1980s, Carpenter danced beneath the “rain” onstage, unconcerned by any potential political storm brewing as a result of her display of solidarity with the drag and transgender communities.
Then Tate McRae delivered one of the most jaw-dropping moments of the night during her first ever VMAs main stage performance. Sporting a white mini two-piece set, the Canadian artist nailed the complex and demanding choreography of singles “Revolving Door” and “Sports Car,” including her famous back-bend leg extension and splits — all while dancing on black sand.
After that, it was time for the highly anticipated tribute to late Black Sabbath rocker Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July aged 76. Led by Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, along with British singer-songwriter Yungblud and Portuguese-American guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, the segment included a compilation of Osbourne’s greatest hits.
From the moment the opening chords of “Crazy Train” played, those in UBS Arena knew we were witnessing something special. Yungblud’s chaotic and spirited version of the tune completely changed the energy in the arena; the frenzy only growing once Tyler joined him onstage.
Photos of Osbourne from various points in his career flashed as the band played, the thumping of the drums reverberating in our chests as we felt the weight of honoring the Prince of Darkness.
Despite the palpable sense of camaraderie in the room, the VMAs still seem to encourage artists to outdo one another onstage. Perhaps that was amplified this year by the ceremony’s broadcasting by a major national network for the first time.
So whether it was a jaw-dropping tribute or a powerful statement of solidarity – or simply a dazzling display of pop choreography – everyone brought something unique to the stage.
You can find the full list of winners from the 2025 MTV VMAs here.
