Madonna to Return to MTV VMAs Stage After 23-Year Hiatus

Madonna is scheduled to open the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, returning to the VMAs stage for the first time in 23 years. Her last appearance in 2003 featured a headline-making moment when she shared same-sex kisses with fellow artists Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

The 68-year-old pop superstar will perform music from her latest album, "Confessions II." The album, released in July, has been lauded as a significant comeback for the artist and is considered by some critics to be her best work since "Confessions on a Dance Floor" in 2005. "Confessions II" topped the Billboard 200 chart and has earned Madonna a career-high 11 nominations for this year's VMAs, the most of any artist.

This marks the most VMA nominations Madonna has received in a single year, surpassing her previous records of nine nominations in 1990 and again in 1998. Throughout her career, she has won 19 VMA awards.

Madonna has a history of memorable performances at the VMAs, beginning with her 1984 rendition of "Like a Virgin." Other notable performances include "Express Yourself" in 1989, "Vogue" in 1990, and "Bye Bye Baby" in 1993.

The 2003 performance, which also featured Missy Elliott, was not publicly advertised, aiming for a surprise impact. According to Rolling Stone, MTV executives gave Madonna significant creative control over the performance, including the decision to include Spears and Elliott. Details of the planned kisses were kept from MTV executives until rehearsals, which were conducted in private to prevent leaks. The show's director reportedly made a last-minute decision to cut to a reaction shot of Spears's ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, during the kiss with Aguilera.

Madonna had initially intended for Jennifer Lopez to be part of the 2003 performance, but Lopez had to withdraw due to a film schedule, leading to Aguilera's last-minute inclusion.

The 2026 VMAs ceremony is scheduled to take place at the Peacock Theatre in Los Angeles, marking the return of the awards show to the West Coast for the first time in nine years. The broadcast is set for Sunday, September 27, at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on CBS and MTV, and will be available for streaming on Paramount+.