Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande were among the biggest winners at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night, with Gaga taking home four trophies including artist of the year and Grande winning video of the year for Brighter Days Ahead.
The ceremony, held at New York's UBS Arena, largely celebrated female performers and honoured music videos released over the past 12 months. Gaga entered the night as the most-nominated artist with 12 nods and increased her career total to 22 moon person trophies, moving her ahead of Madonna and placing her third on the all-time list behind Taylor Swift and Beyoncé, who each have 30.
Gaga dedicated the artist of the year award to her fiance Michael Polansky and to her fans, the "Little Monsters," saying, "Being an artist is an attempt to connect the souls of people all over the world." She also won awards for best direction and art direction for Abracadabra and shared best collaboration for Die With A Smile with Bruno Mars. After collecting the artist prize she left UBS Arena, and MTV cameras later followed her to a live concert at Madison Square Garden where she performed Abracadabra and The Dead Dance.
Ariana Grande captured three awards, including the night's top honour for Brighter Days Ahead, which won video of the year, long-form video and best pop video. In her acceptance speech she thanked her father for his cameo in the project and framed the work as part of a healing process, urging those on similar journeys to "continue onward, because I promise there are brighter days ahead." Sabrina Carpenter also won three awards, including album of the year for Short n' Sweet and the inaugural best pop artist prize. Carpenter's stage show included a retro-themed performance of Tears with drag and trans performers holding signs with messages such as "in trans we trust" and "protect the dolls."
Mariah Carey received the special Video Vanguard award and performed a medley of hits during the broadcast, praising music videos as integral to her artistry. Carey also won in the R&B section for Type Dangerous. Other notable winners included Doechii, who won both the hip-hop award and best choreography for Anxiety; Tate McRae, who won best editing and song of the summer for Just Keep Watching; Shakira, who won the Latin prize for Soltera; and South African artist Tyla, who won best Afrobeats.
Bruno Mars's APT featuring Rosé won song of the year. Rosé used her acceptance speech to reflect on acceptance and equal recognition for young artists, describing the moment as significant for the 16-year-old version of herself and others who dream of equitable acknowledgment for their work. Megan Moroney made history by winning the first-ever best country category for Am I Okay?, and the multinational girl group Katseye won performance of the year for Push.
The telecast was hosted by LL Cool J, who appeared largely off-screen and presented seven awards during the broadcast. Several major artists — including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar — were absent from the ceremony, contributing to what some described as a slightly muted atmosphere despite high-profile performances. Ricky Martin delivered a medley of his hits after accepting an award and credited his fans for sustaining his four-decade career. Busta Rhymes performed and accepted the Rock The Bells Visionary prize, while Post Malone was shown performing from Germany.
The show also included a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who died in July. Yungblud, joined by Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, performed selections from Osbourne's catalogue following a video message from his son and grandchildren. Coldplay won the rock category for All My Love and Sombr took the alternative award for Back To Friends.
MTV's awards continued to highlight technical craft across music video production, with honors for visual effects, choreography, direction and editing spread among established and emerging artists. The broadcast showcased a mix of live and pre-recorded performances and reflected an industry focus on visual storytelling as a complement to recorded music.
A full list of winners was published by the network following the ceremony.