Ariana Grande closed Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards by winning her third trophy, but after taking the stage to deliver her acceptance speech, was nearly thwarted by the microphone stand — which the petite singer could barely reach.
The 32-year-old pop diva had just won the Music Video of the Year category for her song “Brighter Days Ahead,” beating out talented peers including Sabrina Carpenter, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish, but realized only after arriving onstage that she quite literally had to speak up.
“I’m gonna make this very quick, because I took far too much time with the last one,” Grande, who was joined onstage by Christian Breslauer, the director of the music video, nevertheless continued. “I want to start again with my fans, thank you so, so, so, so much. I love you with all my heart, I have since I was a teenager, since we first crossed paths.”
“And I will for my whole life,” Grande added.
“You seriously couldn’t lower the microphone for them?” one X user wrote of the moment, while another user chimed in, “They got her tiptoeing in HEELS!!”
Grande ultimately moved forward like the professional she is, but after praising the virtues of art and thanking her fans for their support, the singer couldn’t help but comment on the microphone stand for a second time — to audible laughter from the crowd.
“I mean, this is ridiculous,” she joked.
Her multiple victories throughout the ceremony hopefully made up for the snafu. Grande won three awards Sunday, including Best Long Form Video and Best Pop — and concluded her acceptance speech for that latter award with quite the viral banger.
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