Lisa Rinna, 63, shocks with peroxide blonde hair and racy 'naked' dress at the 2026 MTV VMAs in Los Angeles

Lisa Rinna turned heads upon her arrival at the star-studded 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night.

For the big ceremony held at Los Angeles' 7,000-seat Peacock Theater, the 63-year-old traded her signature brunette shag for a spiky, peroxide blonde wig.

Along with her bold new hair, Rinna slipped her fit figure into a racy white strapless gown featuring a bodice molded to her breasts and torso.

The lower half of the 'naked' dress featured a flowing train and a daring thigh-slit that showed off her tanned legs and white platform heels.

As for her makeup, the reality TV star opted for a grungy black eyeshadow look paired with a glossy, nude lip and a luminous, peach-toned cheek.

She kept jewelry to a minimum by only wearing a pair of sparkly, stud earrings 

Lisa Rinna turned heads upon her arrival at the star-studded 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night

Rinna exuded confidence as she struck pose after pose on the red carpet featuring imagery of the VMAs' iconic Moonperson on the blue backdrop.

Missing from the star's side was her husband of nearly 30 years, Harry Hamlin.

She and the 74-year-old Hollywood hunk are parents to model daughters Amelia Gray, 25, and Delilah Belle, 28, both of whom were also absent from Sunday's event. 

Rinna led the early red carpet arrivals along with the likes of Summer House star Ciara Miller, Bebe Rexha and singer JoJo.

No doubt the most anticipated moment of this year's VMAs will be when Taylor Swift receives the inaugural Artist Director Honors.

With the crowning, the 36-year-old megastar will break her tie with Beyonce, 45, as the most decorated artists of the VMAs, as they each came into Sunday's event with 30 gongs to their name.

Inasmuch as Beyonce has no nominations this year, Swift will become the sole reigning record-holder.

The MTV VMA Artist Director Honors celebrates a sustained and influential body of work from artists who have pushed creative boundaries and developed a clear directorial voice.

Swift has utilized music videos as an extension of her songwriting as she has directed the visuals for her tracks: The Fate of Ophelia, Opalite, The Man, cardigan, willow, All Too Well: The Short Film, Anti-Hero, Bejeweled, Fortnight (feat. Post Malone), I Can See You (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault), Karma (feat. Ice Spice) and Lavender Haze.

For the big ceremony held at Los Angeles' 7,000-person Peacock Theater, the 63-year-old traded her signature brunette shag for a spiky, peroxide blonde wig

Rinna seen in January 

Along with her bold new hair, Rinna slipped her fit figure into a racy white strapless gown featuring a bodice molded to her breasts and torso

The lower half of the 'naked' dress featured a flowing train and a daring thigh-slit that showed off her tanned legs and white platform heels 

No doubt diehard Swifties will be watching the event with plenty of scrutiny as she released deluxe album The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore along with new single Patient Zero on Friday.

Meanwhile, nominations were unveiled last month as it was Madonna who emerged as the artist with the most nods.

Madonna, 68, is in competition for a staggering 11 prizes, narrowly beating out Swift, who has nods in nine categories.

They will be vying against each other for the evening's top honor, video of the year, with Swift up for The Fate of Ophelia and Madonna for Confessions II (The Film).

Rounding out the category are the music videos for Hate That I Made You Love Me by Ariana Grande, Tears by Sabrina Carpenter, I Just Might by Bruno Mars and Storm by GENER8ION (starring Yung Lean).

Madonna famously performed at the first-ever VMAs in 1984, bursting from a gigantic wedding cake while dressed in a bridal gown for a rendition of Like a Virgin.

She has emerged as a reliable engine of memorable moments at the extravaganza, where she ignited a fan frenzy in 2003 by kissing Britney Spears on the lips.

No doubt the most anticipated moment of the night will be when Taylor Swift receives inaugural Artist Director Honors 

No doubt diehard Swifties will be watching the event with plenty of scrutiny as she released deluxe album The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore along with new single Patient Zero on Friday

Madonna, 68, is in competition for a staggering 11 prizes, narrowly beating out Swift, who has nods in nine categories (Above in New York in June)

Over the course of her more than four-decade career, Madonna has earned a total of 19 VMAs, meaning that in order to equal Swift and Beyonce's current record she will have to triumph in every category in which she is nominated this year.

Confessions II (The Film) is in the running to win best direction, best cinematography, best visual effects, best editing, best choreography, best art direction and dance video of the year.

Trailing Madonna and Swift, Grande and Carpenter are tied for third place with seven nominations apiece, while Mars, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson each have five.

The artist of the year category is a face-off between Madonna, Swift, Grande, Carpenter, Mars and country music heartthrob Morgan Wallen.

Madonna and Carpenter have landed a joint song of the year nomination for their duo Bring Your Love, the lead single of the former's new album Confessions II.

Their rivals are Ella Langley for Choosin' Texas, BTS for Swim, Raye for Where Is My Husband, Olivia Dean for Man I Need and HUNTR/X for their Oscar-winning number Golden from the streaming sensation KPop Demon Hunters.

Madonna's Confessions II (The Film) is up for dance video of the year, against such competition as Aperture by Harry Styles, Runway by Lady Gaga and Doechii and New Religion by Bebe Rexha and Faithless.

They will be vying against each other for the evening's top honor, video of the year, with Swift up for The Fate of Ophelia (pictured) and Madonna for Confessions II - The Film

Trailing Madonna and Swift, Ariana Grande (pictured in January) and Sabrina Carpenter are tied for third place with seven nominations apiece

Carpenter is pictured in her music video for Tears, which is up for video of the year against offerings by Madonna, Swift, Grande, Bruno Mars and GENER8ION (starring Yung Lean)

The other nominees in that category are Dance... by Slayyyter, Stateside by PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson and Nobody's Girl by Tate McRae.

Madonna and Carpenter could also win best collaboration, for which they would have to beat out Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice for Chains & Whips as well as Shakira and Burna Boy for Dai Dai.

Also in that category are Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye's Hard Part, PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson's Stateside and French Montana and Max B's Ever Since U Left Me.

Best pop video has emerged as a contest between Hate That I Made You Love Me, The Fate of Ophelia and Nobody's Girl, as well as Dream by the Blackpink breakout Lisa, SS26 by Charli XCX, Drop Dead by Olivia Rodrigo and House Tour by Carpenter.

MTV Video Music Awards 2026 NOMINEES

VIDEO OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande - Hate That I Made You Love Me

Bruno Mars - I Just Might

Gener8ion (starring Yung Lean - Storm

Madonna - Confessions II (The Film)

Sabrina Carpenter - Tears

Taylor Swift - The Fate of Ophelia 

ARTIST OF THE YEAR

Ariana Grande

Bruno Mars

Madonna

Morgan Wallen

Sabrina Carpenter

Taylor Swift 

Madonna has the most nominations of the year with 11

SONG OF THE YEAR

BTS - Swim

Ella Langley - Choosin' Texas

Huntr/x - Golden

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter - Bring Your Love

Olivia Dean - Man I Need

Raye - Where Is My Husband

BEST NEW ARTIST

Bella Kay

Cortis

Magnus Ferrell

Malcolm Todd

Myles Smith

Sienna Spiro

Stella Lefty

BEST COLLABORATION

Clipse, Kendrick Lamar, Pusha T and Malice – Chains & Whips

French Montana and Max B – Ever Since U Left Me

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson – Stateside

Shakira and Burna Boy – Dai Dai

Teyana Taylor and Lucky Daye – Hard Part

BEST POP

Ariana Grande – Hate That I Made You Love Me

Charli XCX – SS26

Lisa – Dream

Olivia Rodrigo – Drop Dead

Sabrina Carpenter – House Tour

Tate McRae – Nobody’s Girl

Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia

Taylor Swift is trailing just behind the Queen of Pop with nine nods to her name

BEST HIP-HOP

Cardi B featuring Kehlani – Safe

Don Toliver – E85

Drake – Janice STFU

Megan Thee Stallion – Lover Girl

Travis Scott – Dumbo

Tyler, The Creator – Sugar on My Tongue

BEST R&B

Bruno Mars – I Just Might

Chris Brown – It Depends/Obvious

Dave & Tems – Raindance

Justin Bieber – Yukon

Kehlani – Folded

Mariah The Scientist and Kali Uchis – Is It a Crime

BEST ALTERNATIVE

Geese – Taxes

MGK and Fred Durst – Fix Ur Face

Noah Kahan – The Great Divide

Olivia Rodrigo – The Cure

Sombr – Homewrecker

Tame Impala – Dracula

Twenty One Pilots – Drag Path

BEST DANCE

Bebe Rexha and Faithless – New Religion

Harry Styles – Aperture

Lady Gaga and Doechii – Runway

Madonna – Confessions II (The Film)

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson – Stateside

Slayyyter – Dance...

Tate McRae – Nobody’s Girl

 BEST LATIN

Anitta and Shakira – Choka Choka

Bad Bunny – NUEVAYoL

Fuerza Regida – Tu Sancho

Karol G – Papasito

Rosalía – La Perla

Ryan Castro, Kapo and Gangsta – La Villa

Shakira and Burna Boy – Dai Dai

Ariana Grande has landed a total of seven nominations

BEST K-POP

Blackpink – Jump

BTS – Swim

Cortis – Redred

Katseye – Pinky Up

Le Sserafim – Spaghetti

Lisa – Dream

 BEST COUNTRY

Ella Langley – Choosin’ Texas

Kacey Musgraves – Dry Spell

Lainey Wilson – Somewhere over Laredo

Luke Combs – Back in the Saddle

Shaboozey – Cowgirl

Stella Lefty – Boston

Tucker Wetmore – Brunette

BEST DIRECTION

Ariana Grande – Hate That I Made You Love me

Bruno Mars – I Just Might

Gener8ion – Storm

Madonna – Confessions II (The Film)

Sabrina Carpenter – House Tour

Taylor Swift – Opalite

Sabrina Carpenter is tied with Grande, having scored seven nods

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY

Ariana Grande – Hate That I Made You Love Me

A$AP Rocky – Punk Rocky

Lisa – Dream

Madonna – Confessions II (The Film)

Shaboozey – Cowgirl

Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia

BEST EDITING

Ariana Grande – Hate That I Made You Love Me

Bruno Mars – I Just Might

Lisa – Dream

Madonna – Confessions II (The Film)

Sabrina Carpenter – House Tour

Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY

Gener8ion – Storm

Harry Styles – Dance No More

Katseye – Pinky Up

Madonna – Confessions II (The Film)

Tate McRae – Nobody’s Girl

Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS

Ariana Grande – Hate That I Made You Love Me

Jisoo and Zayn – Eyes Closed

Madonna – Confessions II (The Film)

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson – Stateside

Raye – Click Clack Symphony

Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia

BEST ART DIRECTION

Charli XCX – SS26

Lady Gaga and Doechii – Runway

Madonna – Confessions II (The Film)

PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson – Stateside

Sombr – My Body Isn’t Ready

Taylor Swift – The Fate of Ophelia

Swift has a chance this year to break her dead heat with Beyonce, with whom she is tied for most VMAs ever at 30