From smooches with aliens to several cloned Eminems to jaw-dropping outfits, the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards featured plenty of memorable moments. This year’s show marked the 40th anniversary since its inauguration in 1984. The night, hosted by Megan Thee Stallion, was filled with dancing, singing, and, of course, lots of awards.
Viewers witnessed a fresh take on the music awards as first-time winner Chappell Roan took home the award for ‘Best New Artist,’ while Katy Perry, the recipient of the 2024 Video Vanguard Award for her outstanding career, delivered a performance of a lifetime.
HollywoodLife has rounded up some of the most iconic moments from this year’s VMAs.
Sabrina Carpenter was undoubtedly one of the artists many were excited to see, as 2024 has been her year with hit singles like “Espresso,” “Please Please Please,” and “Taste,” which she performed in a medley. During her performance of her latest track, featuring Jenna Ortega in the music video, she danced around an alien and an astronaut until, while singing “And singin’ ’bout it don’t mean I care / Yeah, I know I’ve been known to share,” she playfully pushed the astronaut away and headed for a kiss with the alien.
Karol G had everyone showing off their Latin dance moves as she performed her recent single “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido.” The 33-year-old Colombian singer got the entire audience on their feet, dancing to the merengue beat. While taking over the VMAs stage, she made her way to the crowd where industry colleagues like Taylor Swift, Post Malone, and Camila Cabello were seated, encouraging them to dance along with her.
Katy Perry was one of the evening’s most prominent stars, receiving the MTV Video Vanguard Award and joining past recipients like Shakira, who was honored in 2023. To celebrate her achievements throughout her music career, the 39-year-old singer performed a medley of her greatest hits, including “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “Lifetimes,” and more.
In her heartfelt speech, she thanked her husband, Orlando Bloom, who presented the award, her daughter Daisy Dove, and her fanbase. She addressed her fans, saying, “My Katy Cats! You stood by me for a lifetime, and the LGBTQ community who I recognize I would not be here without and who show me that you can be both kind and c**t.”
Megan Thee Stallion boldly recreated Britney Spears’ iconic outfit from her “Slave 4 You” music video, complete with a real snake wrapped around her arms. As the crowd went wild, she screamed in fear, “Okay! Okay! Stop the music! Stop the music! I’m just playing — come get this snake. I don’t know this snake, and this snake doesn’t know me.”
Eminem kicked off the 40th annual event in Elmont, New York, with a performance of his songs “Houdini” and “Somebody Save Me” from his most recent album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). His show featured several men in blonde wigs resembling his early 2000s Slim Shady look, including a young look-alike version of himself.
Taylor Swift won the MTV ‘Video of the Year’ award for the third year in a row for her music video “Fortnight,” featuring Post Malone. While thanking her team and the 29-year-old musician for their help in creating the project, she made sure to give a special shoutout to her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. In her speech, she shared, “Something that I’ll always remember is when I would finish a take and say ‘cut,’ I would always hear someone cheering ‘woo’ from across the studio where we were shooting, and that one person was my boyfriend, Travis.”
Chappell Roan reacts to photographer telling someone to “shut the f*ck up”:
“You shut the f*ck up!”
— Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) September 11, 2024
Chappell Roan made headlines last night after a photographer reportedly shouted, “shut the f**k up” while she was posing on the carpet. The 26-year-old singer immediately responded, pointing a finger at the person and yelling back, “You shut the f**k up!”
