Madonna made a dazzling return to the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, joining forces with Sabrina Carpenter for a performance of “Bring Your Love.” Charli XCX later appeared for a remix of “Danceteria,” featuring numerous celebrity cameos. Madonna’s last VMA appearance was in 2003, after a hiatus that began with her iconic 1984 debut of “Like a Virgin.”
During the “Danceteria” segment, set on a graffiti‑styled bathroom stage, the roster of surprise guests included Sombr in a striking leather ensemble, Julia Garner, Debi Mazar, Seth Rogen, Andrew Watt, Tony Ward, and Fab 5 Freddie. Notably, Mazar and Freddie are referenced by name in Madonna’s lyrics.
Madonna entered the night with 13 nominations, primarily for the short film accompanying her highly anticipated album *Confessions II*, the sequel to her 2005 work *Confessions on a Dance Floor*. The video is nominated for Video of the Year, Best Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Choreography, among others. Its presence also revives the Best Dance award, a category that was last presented in 2019 after a three‑decade hiatus.
The duet “Bring Your Love” from *Confessions II*, which Madonna and Carpenter debuted at her Coachella headline performance, also earned nominations for Song of the Year and Best Collaboration. Additionally, Madonna is nominated for Artist of the Year.
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</h2>The evening’s remaining acts include performances by Gunna, Lisa, Raye, Shaboozey, Gener8ion, Sienna Spiro, and Yung Lean. Kacey Musgraves will present a tribute to Dolly Parton, her first VMA appearance in five years. Raye, Sombr, and Teddy Swims will honor George Michael with a tribute performance, nearly ten years after his passing.
<img class="c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto" src="https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/themes/vip/pmc-rollingstone-2022/assets/public/lazyload-fallback.gif" data-lazy-src="https://www.rollingstone.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/vmas-madonna-sabrina-carpenter.jpg?w=1024" alt="" data-lazy-srcset="" data-lazy-sizes="" height="683" width="1024" decoding="async"/> <span class="u-border-color-black u-border-lr-2 lrv-u-padding-tb-025 lrv-u-padding-lr-075 lrv-u-border-b-2 lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-text-align-center a-font-basic-secondary-s">Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter performing at The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards</span>
Stewart Cook/CBS
</figcaption>Taylor Swift trails Madonna with 11 nominations for the night. In the Artist of the Year category, Madonna and Swift will face competition from Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars, Sabrina Carpenter, and Morgan Wallen. For Song of the Year, “Bring Your Love” will contend against BTS’s “Swim,” Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas,” Huntr/x’s “Golden,” Olivia Dean’s “Man I Need,” PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson’s “Stateside” remix, and Raye’s “Where Is My Husband!”