Madonna is returning to the MTV VMAs stage 42 years after her “Like a Virgin” debut

Madonna is bringing her legendary VMA history full circle. The Queen of Pop is to open the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 27, returning to the stage as a performer for the first time since 2003. 

MTV and CBS announced the exciting news Wednesday, and she’s entering the awards with more than two hands worth of nominations. 

The 68-year-old is leading the pack with 11 nominations, more than any other artist, including nods for Artist of the Year and Video of the Year, Best Collaboration, Art Direction, Cinematography, Editing, Dance, Direction, Choreography, and Visual Effects.

Throughout her career, she has collected 20 VMA wins, including the Video Vanguard Award, and has received more than 80 nominations.

Her VMA comeback also comes months after the release of Confessions II, her 15th studio album. Released on July 3, the record serves as a follow-up to her 2005 dance-pop classic Confessions on a Dance Floor and marks another chapter in Madonna’s decades-long evolution as an artist.

But long before Confessions II, Madonna had already established herself as one of the most important figures in VMAs history.

Her last VMA performance was in 2003

© Kevin Kane

Madonna’s last time on the VMAs stage was in 2003 when she opened the ceremony with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott.

The performance began with Madonna and Spears performing “Like a Virgin” before Aguilera joined them. Madonna kissed both Spears and Aguilera onstage, turning the already highly anticipated opening number into an instant pop culture headline.

 The singers eventually moved into a medley that included “Hollywood,” while Elliott appeared during the performance.

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Although she hasn’t performed at the VMAs since then, she did make a surprise appearance at the 2021 ceremony to commemorate MTV’s 40th anniversary. 

© Kevin Mazur/MTV VMAs 2021

Wearing a black leather outfit and trench coat, she walked onto the stage without prior announcement.

Madonna has been making VMA history since 1984

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Madonna and the VMAs have a lot of history. She was there for the ceremony’s very first night.

At the inaugural awards show in 1984, she performed “Like a Virgin” in what would become one of the most recognizable moments from the event’s early years. 

Dressed in a wedding gown and wearing her signature “Boy Toy” belt, Madonna emerged from a giant wedding cake before making her way across the stage. 

When one of her shoes came off during the performance, she simply incorporated the mishap into the choreography.

The moment helped establish the VMAs as a place where unexpected, theatrical performances could become part of pop culture history.

Two years later, Madonna returned to the ceremony to accept the Video Vanguard Award, becoming the first solo female artist to receive the honor.

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She continued adding to her VMA legacy over the next decade. In 1989, she opened the ceremony with “Express Yourself.”

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Then came her elaborate 1990 performance of “Vogue,” which drew inspiration from 18th-century French fashion and Marie Antoinette.

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In 1993, she took the stage for “Bye Bye Baby,” delivering another theatrical performance that played with gender and old Hollywood imagery.

© Frank Micelotta Archive

The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Snoop Dogg, will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 27, from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET (4:30 to 6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS, with a simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S. The ceremony will also be available globally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.