Key Points
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Madonna’s first MTV VMAs performance in 23 years included several surprise celebrity cameos.
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For the first time since 2003, Madonna hit the awards show stage, joined by Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Seth Rogen, and more.
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Madonna performed a medley of Confessions II songs, including “Bring Your Love” and “Danceteria”
Over 23 years after her last MTV VMAs performance, Madonna is picking up right where she left off after shocking the world by kissing Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera live on the air.
For the first time since 2003, the global icon opened Sunday night’s VMAs ceremony with a grand-scale performance, as she again welcomed a high-profile roster of celebrity guests to join her on stage to celebrate the milestone moment.
The set opened with Madonna atop a large piano, with her “Bring Your Love” duet partner Sabrina Carpenter tinkling on the keys before the pair’s set exploded to match the scope of Madonna’s Confessions II: The Short Film,as Madonna and Carpenter recreated the club-set runway duel they fronted in the project.
After Carpenter left the stage, Madonna was carted off (literally, on a rolling platform) to a different set — modeled after the “Danceteria” bathroom scene from Confessions II: The Short Film. Her “Danceteria” remix collaborator Charli XCX then burst out of a bathroom stall, followed by Madonna with her long-delayed biopic star, actress Julia Garner, and longtime friend Debi Mazar (who’s also name-checked in the “Danceteria” lyrics.)
Finally, as the crew danced in the bathroom, actor Seth Rogen popped out to puff a bit of smoke, before joining the ensemble to dance through the song’s conclusion.
Madonna has a storied past at the VMAs, having put on some of the most memorable performances of her career at the annual event. The superstar’s 1984 performance of “Like a Virgin” is widely considered one of the most recognizable performances in VMAs history, while other renditions of “Bye Bye Baby” (1993), “Express Yourself” (1989), and “Vogue” (1990) are also consistently ranked among fan favorite Madonna moments from the show.
Her 2003 performance, however, caused a stir among fans and viewers. Jennifer Lopez recently revealed that she, too, was initially asked to participate in the performance, though she wasn’t able to join because the team behind her 2004 movie Shall We Dance?wouldn’t release her from filming.
Though she hasn’t performed on the show since 2003, Madonna has appeared as a presenter on several occasions, including when she presented Video of the Year to Camila Cabello in 2018. She also returned to open the show in a different way in 2021, honoring both her 40-year career as well as MTV’s four-decade anniversary with opening remarks at the ceremony.
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In terms of current career success, Madonna’s latest album Confessions II marked a recent commercial uptick for the icon, as it reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart with 134,000 units moved in its first week (around 40,000 more than her 2019 album Madame X did).
After the album’s release, Madonna released an additional remix of the LP’s second single “Love Sensation” featuring Australian pop princess Kylie Minogue, marking their long-awaited first official collaboration after years of fans lobbying for a duet.
See the full list of MTV VMAs 2026 winners.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
