The MTV Video Music Awards, hosted by Megan Thee Stallion, saw its biggest audience in four years, making its 40th anniversary extra special.
The 2024 VMAs, held on Sept. 11 at the UBS Arena in New York, reached over four million viewers, an 8% increase from 2023 according to Billboard.
The award show is known for being a less formal event with performances and attire that are bolder and more experimental. The novelty of these performances combined with the 40th anniversary made the night nostalgic with references to past iconic moments.
Fashion at the show was filled with artists paying homage to looks of the past. Pop singer Tate McRae recreated Brittany Spears’ 2001 VMA black lace look. Sabrina Carpenter recreated Madonna’s Oscars look, wearing the same customized vintage satin gown Madonna wore on the carpet in 1991 according to, CNN.
Megan Thee Stallion changed into multiple looks throughout the night, starting off with a Team USA bodysuit inspired by the Olympics, giving a shout-out to Simone Biles and branding herself as “Team VMA” for the “Voluptuous Megan Awards.”
Megan brought energy and authenticity as the host, even paying tribute to Spears by recreating the look from her 1999 “I’m a Slave 4 U” performance while holding a live snake.
The show began with an explosive performance by Eminem walking onto the stage to his 2002 hit “Without Me” sporting his iconic bleach blond hair, a nod to his slim shady era, surrounded by look-alikes in the same wig.
He transitioned into “Houdini,” from his album “The Death of Slim Shady.” Singer Jelly Roll virtually joined Eminem, for an emotional performance of their song “Somebody Save Me.”
The rest of the night was graced by performances from Anitta, Benson Boone, Camila Cabello, Chappell Roan, GloRilla, Halsey, Karol G, Lisa, Megan Thee Stallion, Rauw Alejandro, Carpenter and Shawn Mendes.
The first award of the night was the Best Collaboration Award with nominees such as Jungkook feat. Latto and Drake feat. Sexyy Red and SZA. The presenters were Jordan Chiles and Flavor Flav, who referenced Chiles’ bronze medal revocation. Flavor Flav acknowledged Chiles’ talent, saying, “I know they tried to take your medal away from you, but you know what? I got you something that they can’t take away from you,” before placing a bronze necklace on her.
The winners were ultimately Taylor Swift and Post Malone for their song “Fortnight.” Swift brought home the most awards, winning seven out of 12 nominations including Artist of the Year, Video of the Year and her controversial nomination for Song of the Summer.
Presenters included Addison Rae, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Big Sean, Halle Bailey, Lil Nas X, Naomi Scott, Paris Hilton and Tinashe.
Katy Perry received the highest honor of the night: the Video Vanguard Award, a lifetime achievement award given to recording artists and directors for their outstanding achievements and impact on the industry.
She performed a medley of her greatest hits before receiving the honor, introduced by her husband Orlando Bloom.
Roan, to no one’s surprise, won the Best New Artist Award with a fiery medieval-themed performance of “Good Luck, Babe!”
“And for all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now, I see you,” Roan said in her acceptance speech. “I understand you, because I’m one of you. And don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be exactly who you want to be.”
Roan also went viral for snapping back at a photographer on the red carpet for speaking rudely to her, yelling “You shut the fuck up,” back to him. The viral moment represented Roan’s resistance to conform to industry standards.
Carpenter won Song of the Year with her hit single “Espresso,” also performing the song.
Tyla took a moment to shed light on the false categorization of African artists’ music when receiving the award for Best Afrobeats.
“This is so special but bittersweet because I know there is a tendency to group all African artists under Afrobeats,” Tyla said. “Even though Afrobeats has run things and has opened so many doors for us, African music is so diverse. It is more than just Afrobeats.”
Megan Thee Stallion performed a medley of her music, bringing out Japanese rapper Yuki Chiba to perform their collaboration, “Mamushi.”
Thai rapper and singer Lisa won the Best K-Pop Award for the second time with “Rockstar” following her 2022 win for “Lalisa.” She is currently the only soloist and female idol to win the award.
The 2024 VMAs included nods to many past icons during MTV’s prime, but also showed the newfound diversity and upcoming stars of the music industry.
The full list of nominees and winners can be found on the MTV website.
