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Madonna Wins Seven VMAs Including Artist of the Year
Confirmed
In Short: Madonna dominated the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, winning seven trophies, including Artist of the Year, for her album Confessions II. The pop icon's success mirrored her performance at the 1998 VMAs, where she won six awards for her album Ray of Light.
Madonna's victories included Best Dance, Best Cinematography, Best Choreography, and Best Long-Form Video for Confessions II – The Film. She also shared the Best Collaboration award with Sabrina Carpenter for their song Bring Your Love.
Taylor Swift also earned major awards, including the inaugural VMA Artist Director Honor, recognizing her creative role behind music visuals. Swift's total of 33 VMAs made her the show's most-awarded artist ever.
Madonna opened the show with a high-energy performance, marking her first appearance at the VMAs in 23 years and setting a new record for opening the show five times.
During the ceremony, Madonna thanked her fingers for their reliability, a humorous nod to her long-standing VMAs career. She also referenced her first VMAs performance in 1984, noting that most in the audience weren't even born then.
Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to Dolly Parton with a special performance of “I Will Always Love You,” marking Musgraves' first onstage appearance at the VMAs in five years.
BTS also made history with three wins, including Song of the Year for “Swim,” Best Group, and Best K-Pop. This was their fifth win for Best Group and fourth for Best K-Pop.
Madonna's speech to younger artists in the audience was inspiring, encouraging them to find and believe in themselves throughout their careers.
Madonna's seven wins in a single night set a new record for the most wins in a single VMAs ceremony.
Taylor Swift's special honor recognized her innovative approach to music visuals, adding to her legacy at the VMAs.
BTS's three wins highlighted their continued influence in the music industry, especially in the K-Pop genre.
What's confirmed
- Madonna dominated the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards after winning seven trophies, including Artist of the Year, for her album Confessions II.
- Madonna opened the show in what was her first performance at the VMAs in 23 years.
What's still developing
- The pop icon’s success at the ceremony mirrored her performance at the 1998 VMAs, where she won six awards for her album Ray of Light.
- Sienna Spiro won Best New Artist, while LISA claimed Best Pop for Dream featuring Kentaro Sakaguchi.
- Madonna had been the first winner in the category in 1991 for The Immaculate Collection, and a repeat win would make a nice bookend for her unparalleled VMAs career.
- "It's been a while since I did one of these things," Madonna said when accepting her first award of the evening.
- The two performed "Bring Your Love" together, which later won the Best Collaboration award, before Madonna transitioned into another dance-fueled club number, "Danceteria," with Charli XCX.
- The performance featured appearances from several stars who had cameos in "Confessions II — The Film," including Debi Mazar and Julia Garner.
- With 19 past wins —and 13 nominations at this evening’s MTV VMAs—Madonna was poised to add more trophies to her collection tonight.
- The singer did just that, winning Artist of the Year.
- Though she recovered like a professional, a manager told her backstage that her “career was over.” But 40-plus years later, she remains one of the most legendary pop stars ever, and has even gone on to perform at the VMAs again.
- Madonna ended with some inspiring words for younger artists in the audience, saying she hopes they spend their careers “finding yourself and believing in yourself.” That wasn’t Madonna’s only speech and win of the night.
- Madonna spoke to Interview earlier this year about the album, admitting that as she processed the loss of her brother and stepmother, along with more family change, “It just felt like I had a lot to get off my chest.” She touched on one unreleased track and the role clubbing played in her music and life more broadly.