Madonna is heading back to the MTV Video Music Awards stage, and her return brings her right back to a show that has been part of her career for more than four decades. The 68-year-old singer will open the 2026 VMAs on September 27, marking her first live performance at the ceremony since 2003.
It is also another full-circle VMA moment for an artist whose performances have helped shape some of the awards show’s most memorable chapters.
Madonna will open the 2026 VMAs
MTV and CBS announced that Madonna will kick off the 2026 ceremony in Los Angeles, making her return to the VMA stage after a 23-year break from performing at the show. She last performed there in 2003 alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Missy Elliott. That opening included a medley featuring “Hollywood” and “Like a Virgin.”
This will also be Madonna’s fifth time opening the VMAs, giving the performance another place in the show’s record books. Her previous opening performances came in 1989, 1993, 1998, and 2003. She now moves ahead of Rihanna for the most VMA opening performances by one artist.
Her VMA story started with “Like a Virgin”
Madonna’s connection to the VMAs stretches back to the very first ceremony in 1984. She performed “Like a Virgin” while dressed as a bride, complete with a white wedding dress, veil, gloves, layered jewelry, and her recognizable “Boy Toy” belt. She emerged from a giant wedding cake before taking the performance across the stage.
The look became closely tied to Madonna’s early image, mixing bridal details with the layered accessories she wore throughout that period. Just two years later, she became the first solo female artist to receive MTV’s Video Vanguard Award. Her relationship with the ceremony was already becoming about more than simply collecting trophies.
Her VMA performances became part of pop culture
Madonna returned in 1989 to open the VMAs with “Express Yourself,” then brought another memorable fashion moment to the show the following year. For her 1990 performance of “Vogue,” she leaned into an 18th-century-inspired look with a dramatic gown, structured bodice, layered skirt, and elaborate styling. The theatrical wardrobe matched the performance’s detailed choreography and period-inspired staging.
She returned again in 1993 with “Bye Bye Baby” before joining Spears, Aguilera, and Elliott for the 2003 opener. Madonna later appeared at the 2021 ceremony to mark MTV’s 40th anniversary, although she did not perform. She stepped onto the stage in a black leather trench coat layered over a coordinating black look, paired with gloves, heels, and statement accessories.
She is heading into the night with 11 nominations
Madonna is not returning simply as a familiar face from VMA history. She leads the 2026 nominations with a career-high 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” with Sabrina Carpenter. It is the third time she has led the VMA nominations.
The nominations follow the July release of “Confessions II,” Madonna’s 15th studio album and the follow-up to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor.” The record became her 10th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. Her VMA return therefore connects her long awards-show history with music she is releasing now.
What to know about the 2026 VMAs
The 2026 MTV VMAs will take place in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27. Snoop Dogg is hosting the ceremony, which will air live from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS and will also be simulcast on MTV. U.S. viewers with Paramount+ Premium will be able to stream the ceremony.
Madonna’s opening performance puts her at the center of the show from its first minutes. It also brings her back to a stage where music, performance, and fashion have repeatedly crossed paths throughout her career. What she performs and wears this time has not yet been revealed.
Final thoughts
Madonna returning to perform at the VMAs after 23 years connects two very different points in her career. The same artist who arrived at the inaugural ceremony in a wedding dress is now returning as the show’s leading nominee. Her five opening performances also span more than three decades of VMA history.
The September 27 appearance will add another chapter to a relationship between Madonna and MTV that began in 1984. This time, viewers will see how she approaches the VMA stage more than four decades after her first performance there.
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