Madonna to Open 2026 VMAs — Her First Time Performing on the Show in 23 Years

Madonna is set to open the 2026 VMAs. It will be her first live performance at the show since 2003, since she teamed with Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott to open the show. (The moment is chiefly remembered for a smooch with Spears that, in true Madonna fashion, became the most talked-about moment of the night.)

This will be the fifth time that Madonna has opened the VMAs, which enables her to break out of a tie with Rihanna as the artist who has opened the most VMAs telecasts. Madonna previously opened the show in 1989 (“Express Yourself”), 1993 (a gender-bending “Bye Bye Baby”) and 1998 (“Shanti/Astangi,” “Ray of Light” with Lenny Kravitz).

Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the VMAs will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, Sept. 27 (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. The show will also be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV.

Spotify has partnered with the VMAs as the official audio streaming partner for the Madonna performance, which promises to extend the event beyond the live broadcast. The collaboration connects fans directly with Madonna’s music post-performance and features exclusive content, including archival footage from past VMAs. 

Madonna is this year’s leading VMAs nominee, with a career-high 11 nominations, including nods for video of the year, artist of the year and song of the year. This year marks the third time Madonna has led VMAs nominations. She received nine nominations in 1990 for “Vogue” and also nine in 1998 for “Ray of Light” and “Frozen.”

Madonna, of course, has been making history at the VMAs since the very first show, in 1984, when her audacious performance of “Like a Virgin” became a groundbreaking pop-culture moment. Just two years later, she became the first woman to receive the Video Vanguard Award.

Madonna has won 19 VMA Awards in competitive categories.

This year’s VMAs will air two weeks before first-round voting opens for the 68th annual Grammy Awards. (That voting period runs from Oct. 12 to 22.) Madonna could be headed for a big night at the Grammys. Her Confessions II seems sure to be nominated for best dance/electronic album, a category in which the original Confessions on a Dance Floor album won in 2007. Confessions II is also a long shot contender for an album of the year nod. Madonna’s only nomination in that category to date was for 1998’s Ray of Light.

Confessions II became Madonna’s 10th No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 in July. Among female artists, she trails only Taylor Swift (15) and Barbra Streisand (11) for most No. 1 albums.

Additional performers, presenters and special guests for the VMAs will be revealed in the next week.

The VMAs are produced by Gunpowder & Sky. Van Toffler serves as producer. Jesse Ignjatovic of Den of Thieves, Barb Bialkowski and Bruce Gillmer serve as executive producers alongside Barry Barclay and Floris Bauer. Melanie Block serves as co-executive producer and Gary Lanvy as coproducer. Snoop Dogg is executive producer alongside producers Sara Ramaker and Jasmin Ratansi. Jen Proctor is executive talent producer.