MTV Video Music Awards Set for September 27 Broadcast with Madonna, Taylor Swift and Tribute Performances

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards will be broadcast live Sunday, Sept. 27, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The ceremony will air on CBS and MTV, while viewers without cable can stream it on Paramount+ or access a free live stream through a DirecTV trial.

Snoop Dog g will host the show, which returns to Los Angeles for the first time since 2017. Madonna, the most-nominated artist with 11 nods, will open the event with her first VMA performance in 23 years. The lineup also includes performances by LISA, RAYE, Shaboozey, Gunna, Sienna Spiro, GENER8ION and Yung Lean, with several artists debuting new songs.

Kacey Musgraves will return to the stage for a tribute to Dolly Parton, and a separate tribute to George Michael will feature RAYE, sombr and Teddy Swims. Nirvana is slated to receive the Video Vanguard Award.

Taylor Swift will receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors and will premiere the music video for her new single “Patient Zero,” which she directed and stars Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson. Swift enters the ceremony with nine nominations.