From smooches with aliens to several cloned Eminems to jaw-dropping outfits, the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards featured plenty of memorable moments. This yearโs 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 โBest New Artist,โ 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 yearโs VMAs.
Sabrina Carpenter was undoubtedly one of the artists many were excited to see, as 2024 has been her year with hit singles like โEspresso,โ โPlease Please Please,โ and โTaste,โ 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 โAnd singinโ โbout it donโt mean I care / Yeah, I know Iโve been known to share,โ 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 โSi Antes Te Hubiera Conocido.โ 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 eveningโs 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 โCalifornia Gurls,โ โTeenage Dream,โ โLifetimes,โ 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, โMy 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.โ
Megan Thee Stallion boldly recreated Britney Spearsโ iconic outfit from her โSlave 4 Youโ music video, complete with a real snake wrapped around her arms. As the crowd went wild, she screamed in fear, โOkay! Okay! Stop the music! Stop the music! Iโm just playing โ come get this snake. I donโt know this snake, and this snake doesnโt know me.โ
Eminem kicked off the 40th annual event in Elmont, New York, with a performance of his songs โHoudiniโ and โSomebody Save Meโ from his most recent album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grรขce). 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 โVideo of the Yearโ award for the third year in a row for her music video โFortnight,โ 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, โSomething that Iโll always remember is when I would finish a take and say โcut,โ I would always hear someone cheering โwooโ from across the studio where we were shooting, and that one person was my boyfriend, Travis.โ