The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards aired Sunday night from New York’s UBS Arena on CBS, honoring both contemporary chart-toppers and music legends in a ceremony hosted by LL Cool J.
Lady Gaga, the evening’s leading nominee, was named Artist of the Year at the start of the broadcast and delivered a brief acceptance before leaving to perform at Madison Square Garden. “I wish I could stay and watch all these amazing performances, but I have to get back to Madison Square Garden,” Gaga said as she exited the stage shortly after receiving the award.
A number of established and rising artists took home Moon Person statuettes during the ceremony. Ariana Grande, Sabrina Carpenter and Rosé were among the night's winners. Mariah Carey performed a medley of her greatest hits and accepted the Video Vanguard Award from Ariana Grande, who presented the career-spanning honor.
Busta Rhymes was presented with the inaugural Rock the Bells Visionary Award and followed the tribute with a high-energy set that included guest appearances by Papoose and GloRilla. During his remarks, Busta Rhymes acknowledged the late MTV VJ Ananda Lewis, who died this year of breast cancer at 52.
Ricky Martin received the first-ever Latin Icon Award and delivered an energetic performance of his hits. Jessica Simpson, presenting the award, called Martin “one of the most dynamic performers” she knows and praised his onstage energy.
The ceremony included a moving tribute to the late Ozzy Osbourne. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry joined singer Yungblud and guitarist Nuno Bettencourt for a medley of Osbourne’s songs. Before the tribute, Yungblud was photographed wearing and kissing a gold cross that he said Osbourne had given him before the singer’s death in July. “He’s here with me. I’ve got his cross on. Ozzy forever, man,” Yungblud told E! News on the red carpet, and he posted on X that he would “try [his] best to do you proud.”
Sabrina Carpenter used her performance to make a silent political statement. At the close of her song "Tears," dancers held up signs bearing messages such as “Support trans rights” and “Dolls Dolls Dolls,” gestures that echoed Carpenter’s earlier advocacy for LGBTQ+ issues.
The show also featured notable red-carpet moments. Doja Cat, wearing an ’80s-inspired Balmain dress, bit into a tube of lipstick during her entrance. R&B singer Summer Walker wore a fuzzy hat that recalled Pamela Anderson’s 1999 VMAs look.
Presenters throughout the night included Ashlee Simpson Ross, Brittany Snow, Ciara, Ice Spice, Jessica Simpson, Latto, Nikki Glaser and Paris Hilton. Alongside awards and performances, the broadcast mixed contemporary pop, hip-hop and rock, underscoring the VMAs’ dual role of celebrating current hits and commemorating long-running careers.
The ceremony, which HuffPost liveblogged in real time, combined competitive awards with honors that highlighted artists’ legacies. The introduction of the Rock the Bells Visionary Award and the Latin Icon Award signaled an expansion of the VMAs’ lifetime-recognition categories.
The 2025 VMAs combined spectacle, career retrospectives and political gestures, airing a ceremony that honored both contemporary chart success and the enduring influence of veteran performers. The show concluded with performances and moments that reflected the music industry’s range of genres and the continuing evolution of the award ceremony’s honors.