After 23 years, Madonna is ready for another headline-making VMA performance
Madonna will open the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards with her first live performance at the ceremony since 2003. The comeback coincides with a year in which she leads the nominations and extends her long history with the show.
- Sep 17, 2026,
- Updated Sep 17, 2026, 3:56 PM IST
Pop star Madonna is set to make her return to the MTV Video Music Awards stage after 23 years, with the singer scheduled to open the 2026 ceremony with her first live VMA performance since 2003.
Madonna, 68, last performed at the awards in 2003, when she shared the stage with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott. The performance included a medley of “Hollywood”, “Like a Virgin” and “Passenger” and became widely remembered for Madonna kissing Spears and Aguilera on stage.
Her return comes during a significant year in her career. Madonna leads this year's VMA nominations with 11 nods, including Artist of the Year, Video of the Year for “Confessions II – The Film” and Song of the Year for “Bring Your Love”, featuring Sabrina Carpenter.
The singer currently has 19 competitive VMA wins and will have an opportunity to add to that tally at this year's ceremony. She has previously topped the nominations list three times, receiving nine nominations for “Vogue” in 1990 and nine more for “Ray of Light” and “Frozen” in 1998.
Madonna's association with the VMAs goes back to the inaugural ceremony in 1984, when she performed “Like a Virgin”. Her appearance, which saw her emerge from a giant wedding cake in a wedding dress and perform across the stage after losing one of her shoes, became one of the ceremony's most recognised moments.
She became the first solo female artist to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1986. Madonna returned to the ceremony in 1989 to open the show with “Express Yourself”, followed by her Marie Antoinette-inspired performance of “Vogue” in 1990. In 1993, she performed “Bye Bye Baby” before returning for her 2003 appearance.
She also made a surprise appearance at the VMAs in 2021 as part of MTV's 40th anniversary celebrations, walking onto the stage in a black leather trench coat.
With 20 VMA wins overall, including the Video Vanguard Award, and more than 80 nominations, Madonna remains among the ceremony's most decorated artists.
Her VMA comeback follows the release of “Confessions II”, her 15th studio album. Released on July 3, the album topped the charts and serves as the follow-up to her 2005 record “Confessions on a Dance Floor”. The album explores themes including family, loss, love and her early years as a performer.
The 2026 VMAs will be hosted by Snoop Dogg and held in Los Angeles on September 27. The ceremony will air live on CBS from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm ET, with a simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ in the US. It will be available internationally on Paramount+ and MTV the following day.