MTV Video Music Awards 2025: How to watch, who is performing and more
The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards show is here.
LL Cool J -- a VMA Award winner, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee and hip-hop trailblazer -- is hosting the annual awards show on Sunday, Sept. 7.
Nominations for the VMAs were announced earlier in August.
Leading the pack is Lady Gaga, who scored 12 nominations, thanks to her visuals for "Abracadabra" and her Bruno Mars collaboration "Die with a Smile."
The "Mayhem" artist, who already has 18 VMAs to her name, is up for video of the year, artist of the year, best album and several other categories. This is the third time she's been the leading nominee at the VMAs.
Lady Gaga's "Die With a Smile" partner Mars is the second-most-nominated artist with 11 nods.
Ahead of MTV's biggest night, we're breaking down everything you need to know.
When are the MTV VMAs?
The MTV VMAs take place Sunday, Sept. 7, live from the UBS Arena in New York.
The awards show is airing on CBS and MTV starting at 8 p.m. ET, and streaming on Paramount+.
Who is nominated?
In addition to Gaga and Mars, leading nominees include Kendrick Lamar with 10; ROSÉ and Sabrina Carpenter with eight each; Ariana Grande and The Weeknd with seven apiece; Billie Eilish with six; and Charli XCX with five. Other nominees include Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran and Jelly Roll.
See the full list of nominees here.
Who is performing?
Music superstar Mariah Carey is among the headliners performing at this year's VMAs.
Carey will receive the Video Vanguard Award and perform what MTV describes as a "show-stopping, career-spanning medley of her biggest hits."
According to MTV, Carey's appearance at the 2025 VMAs will be the first time she's presented or performed at the awards in 20 years.
Aerosmith stars Steven Tyler and Joe Perry are also scheduled to perform alongside YUNGBLUD and Nuno Bettencourt in a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne, who died on July 22 at the age of 76.
How are winners chosen?
Winners for the MTV VMAs are chosen by fans.
Fan voting is now open in 19 categories at vote.mtv.com. Votes are open until Sept. 5 at 6 p.m. ET.
On Aug. 18, the song of the year category will be cut from 10 to six nominees.
Who won last year?
Taylor Swift was the big winner at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. She took home seven moon person trophies out of 12 nominations, including the coveted video of the year and artist of the year awards.
The wins made her the most-awarded solo artist in VMAs history with a total of 30 VMAs. It also tied her with Beyoncé for most overall VMA wins.
See the full 2024 winners list here.
