{"id":859607,"date":"2026-09-25T01:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-09-25T01:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/859607\/"},"modified":"2026-09-25T01:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T01:06:09","slug":"2026-mtv-video-music-awards-preview-performances-tributes-and-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/859607\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 MTV Video Music Awards Preview: Performances, Tributes and More"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tMTV Video Music<\/a> Awards<\/a> producer Van Toffler<\/a> promises that there will be something for everyone at this year\u2019s show.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAt its best, the VMAs<\/a> are kind of genre-, age- and color-blind,\u201d he tells The Hollywood Reporter. \u201cIt is by design to have this mix of a host like Snoop [Dogg] and an artist like Madonna<\/a> opening, with some special guests, and tributes to people like Nirvana<\/a> and also have first-time performers like Sienna Spiro and Raye. We have Lisa, we\u2019ve got Yung Lean and Gener8ion. I think that\u2019s when the VMAs are at their best. There\u2019s this kind of crazy \u2014 what we used to say as kids \u2014 bitches brew of eclectic artists all in on one stage. That\u2019s where the fun happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAs he noted, Madonna will open this year\u2019s show<\/a> with her first VMAs performance in 23 years. She\u2019s had her fair share of big VMA moments, from writhing on the floor while singing \u201cLike a Virgin\u201d in 1984 to kissing Britney Spears onstage in 2003. Toffler teases that her performance this year will be \u201cawesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShe\u2019s rehearsing now, but it\u2019s got so many fun, different elements, it will make your head spin, no doubt,\u201d he says. \u201cShe never disappoints. She is actually the \u2018M\u2019 in \u2018MTV.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAdditionally, this year\u2019s VMAs will pay tribute to not only Nirvana<\/a> but also Dolly Parton<\/a>, who died<\/a> this year, and George Michael<\/a>, who died<\/a> in 2016. Kacey Musgraves will perform in Parton\u2019s honor, while Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims will pay tribute to Michael. Toffler said the timing was right to honor all of these artists for various reasons.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cNirvana is a timeless band,\u201d he says, noting that artists ranging from Dr. Dre to Olivia Rodrigo have expressed their appreciation for the band. \u201cI was personally surprised, having gone away from the channel for 10 years [after serving as an exec there for 28 years], to realize that Nirvana never got the Video Vanguard Award. I can\u2019t think of a more impactful band in the history of MTV. I remember we all stopped everything the day that [frontman] Kurt Cobain died [in 1994], and MTV turned into a news channel because it had such an impact on our audience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tToffler \u2014 who declines to reveal who will be on hand to accept the award for the band, which also included drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic \u2014 noted the long-lasting impact of the video for \u201cSmells Like Teen Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cOnce you saw those pom-poms, you could never not associate them with rage or the janitor or Kurt swinging from a chandelier, right?\u201d he asks. \u201cThey\u2019re etched in your cerebellum, those images, and so I\u2019m just happy we get to finally recognize their art and craft and influence.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLikewise, Toffler notes, Michael was another \u201cseminal part of MTV\u2019s history.\u201d The artist was known for memorable videos such as \u201cFaith\u201d (featuring him shaking his rump to the beat) and the David Fincher-directed \u201cFreedom! \u201990\u201d (Michael, who\u2019d grown weary of fame, refused to appear in the video, which instead featured a group of supermodels including Naomi Campbell, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Tatjana Patitz and Christy Turlington).<\/p>\n

\n\tNoting that it\u2019s the 40th anniversary of the release of his career-defining album, Faith, Toffler said Michael also was one of the artists who appeared on MTV\u2019s 10th anniversary show in 1991. The tribute all came together with Raye, Sombr and Swims, three artists who \u201clove\u201d Michael\u2019s music.<\/p>\n

\n\tAnd of course, the world is still mourning the death of Parton, who died Aug. 25 at age 80. Toffler says they\u2019re aiming for a tribute that\u2019s both emotional and light-hearted, given Parton\u2019s personality.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI had the fortune of working with Dolly a couple of years ago,\u201d he says. \u201cWe did a special together for CBS. I think that a lot of the tributes you see in the news sort of washed over her personality. She was quite salty and funny. She was just so funny about her physical appearance, about life, and so I think we want to, in part, capture that part of her personality, but she was also so giving and impactful and so musical and such a strong woman and presence that I think you want to acknowledge all sides of her. To be so famous, universally loved, and be so charitable, and musical, if there\u2019s a way to recognize that in a handful of minutes, we\u2019re going to try.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAnother big moment will come thanks to the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, which will go to none other than Taylor Swift.<\/a> Asked how this award came about, Toffler cites Swift\u2019s estensive work behind the camera, directing her own videos for \u201cThe Fate of Ophelia,\u201d \u201cThe Man,\u201d \u201ccardigan,\u201d \u201cwillow,\u201d \u201cAll Too Well: The Short Film,\u201d \u201cAnti-Hero,\u201d \u201cBejeweled,\u201d \u201cFortnight,\u201d \u201cI Can See You,\u201d \u201cKarma\u201d and \u201cLavender Haze.\u201d Swift has been nominated for the best director VMA a total of seven times, including this year for directing the video for \u201cOpalite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cShe manifested [this award] in the fact that she\u2019s such a great artist in front and behind the camera that she keeps evolving and making great videos,\u201d Toffler says. \u201cHow could we not recognize her for doing it all? They\u2019re killer videos, and she\u2019s exceptional.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tServing as master of ceremonies for the entire shebang will be Snoop Dogg, who is not stranger to hosting duties given his past gigs co-hosting such events as NBC\u2019s Olympics coverage.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s no cooler human on the planet,\u201d Toffler says. \u201cHe\u2019s so facile with movie stars and music stars and celebrities and athletes. Everyone\u2019s comfortable with him. I think that interplay with the performers will be a big part of the show.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThis year, the show returns to the West Coast for first time since 2017. It will be only two hours long, which Toffler says was a mutual decision between producers and network execs. \u201cDo people need three hours of award shows? I don\u2019t think they do. I mean, yes, can we fit more awards and performances? Of course we can, but you\u2019ve watched awards shows recently that are 3-1\/2 hours, and it\u2019s like, \u2018Damn, I needed every minute of that,’\u201d he quips. \u201cI think two hours of a kick-ass, fast-paced show is what people need.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tWhile producers aren\u2019t planning any political moments, Toffler notes that the artists, presenters and winners could say anything during their time on camera. The show is knowns for its unscripted moments \u2014 from Kanye West interrupting Taylor Swift<\/a>\u2018s acceptance speech in 2009 to West declaring his run for president in 2015, along with other moments that don\u2019t involve the rapper \u2014 and viewers could certainly see more of this come Sunday.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSomething happens on that stage that doesn\u2019t really happen, even at other award shows, Oscars and Grammys, except for maybe The Slap,\u201d Toffler notes. \u201cI think we always encouraged artists to do what they wanted to do, and there was no kind of time limit. We didn\u2019t kick them off the stage. I think the artists have continued to raise the bar for each other. And it\u2019s this freedom they feel that you don\u2019t know what to expect.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tOther performers at this year\u2019s show include Shaboozey and Gunna. Madonna tops the nominees<\/a> with 13, followed by Swift with 11, Sabrina Carpenter with nine, Ariana Grande with eight and Bruno Mars with seven. With Swift\u2019s directing honor, she\u2019ll have the most VMA wins of any solo artist.<\/p>\n

\n\tToffler, the CEO of indie studio Gunpowder & Sky, spent 28 years at MTV\/Viacom and is credited with helping grow MTV into a cable success and turning the VMAs into a pop-culture event. After leaving MTV in 2015, Toffler co-founded Gunpowder & Sky with Floris Bauer in 2016. Last year, Toffler and Gunpowder & Sky returned to produce the show under a multiyear agreement.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith all that history, you would expect him to have some favorite VMA moments. Just not the moments you might expect, he admits.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI have such warm, fuzzy feelings about bringing Florence + The Machine from the U.K. to the States [in 2010], and the way we staged that performance and how it broke her out in American music,\u201d he shares. \u201cThat still resonates with me. I went back [through the archives] to do these packages with the best, breakthrough moments, and that feels like one of the top ones for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tAsked who he\u2019d really like to land as a VMAs performer, he muses: \u201cElvis?\u201d Of course, with today\u2019s technology, maybe that isn\u2019t so far-fetched. Quips Toffler: \u201cI think in a couple of years, maybe he can come back for it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe 2026 VMAs, which are taking place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, will air Sunday (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET\/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS and MTV and stream on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. It also will be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor anyone expecting the same-old cookie-cutter type of awards show, Toffler shoots that down by summing up this year\u2019s show thusly: \u201cThis will be an atypical awards show, and it\u2019ll be a fun ride.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MTV Video Music Awards producer Van Toffler promises that there will be something for everyone at this year\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":859608,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[10546,236,88,114727,13847,45291,216,19642,4915,362899,45292,357038],"class_list":["post-859607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-awards","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-george-michael","tag-madonna","tag-mtv-video-music-awards","tag-music","tag-nirvana","tag-taylor-swift","tag-van-toffler","tag-vmas","tag-vmas-2026"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=859607"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/859607\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/859608"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=859607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=859607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=859607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}