NEW YORK 鈥 Taylor Swift 's dominance continued at the MTV Video Music Awards, where she took home seven awards 鈥 including the night's biggest, the trophy for video of the year.
In her speech Wednesday night, Swift thanked her "boyfriend, Travis" for being on set of the "Fortnight" music video and cheering her on. Fans rewarded the mention of NFL star Travis Kelce with loud screams.
"Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic," she said, before shifting gears to the 2024 presidential election and instructing her fans who are over 18 to register to vote.
Swift did, however, avoid discussing Kamala Harris' presidential bid on stage. On Tuesday night, Swift endorsed the vice president, moments after Harris' debate with former president Donald Trump ended.
Swift's awards haul brings her to a career total of 30, tying her and Beyonc for the title of most-awarded musician in VMA history. Eminem is now the male artist with the most VMAs, at 14.
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Swift and Post Malone also took home the first televised award of the VMAs for best collaboration, for "Fortnight," handed to them by Flavor Flav and Olympian Jordan Chiles.
Swift started that speech by giving remembrance to everyone who lost their lives and loved ones during 9/11, 23 years ago.
"I've just been thinking about what happened 23 years ago, everyone who lost a loved one and everyone that we lost and that is the most important thing about today," she said. "And everything that happens tonight falls behind that."
She then turned to discussing Malone.
"There is a reason Post Malone is everyone in music's favorite person to collaborate with," she shifted her attention to him. "It has taken forever for me to get him to stop calling me ma'am."
Here's the full list of winners:
(Keep scrolling for more highlights from the show.)
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
- Ariana Grande 鈥 鈥淲e Can鈥檛 Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)鈥
- Billie Eilish 鈥 鈥淟unch鈥
- Doja Cat 鈥 鈥淧aint The Town Red鈥
- Eminem 鈥 鈥淗oudini鈥
- SZA 鈥 鈥淪nooze鈥
- WINNER: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone 鈥 鈥淔ortnight鈥
ARTIST OF THE YEAR
- Ariana Grande
- Bad Bunny
- Eminem
- Sabrina Carpenter
- SZA
- WINNER: Taylor Swift
SONG OF THE YEAR
- Beyonc茅 鈥 鈥淭exas Hold 鈥楨m鈥
- Jack Harlow 鈥 鈥淟ovin On Me鈥
- Kendrick Lamar 鈥 鈥淣ot Like Us鈥
- WINNER: Sabrina Carpenter 鈥 鈥淓spresso鈥
- Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone 鈥 鈥淔ortnight鈥
- Teddy Swims 鈥 鈥淟ose Control鈥
BEST NEW ARTIST
- Benson Boone
- WINNER: Chappell Roan
- Gracie Abrams
- Shaboozey
- Teddy Swims
- Tyla
BEST COLLABORATION
- Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA 鈥 鈥淩ich Baby Daddy 鈥
- GloRilla, Megan Thee Stallion 鈥 鈥淲anna Be鈥
- Jessie Murph ft. Jelly Roll 鈥 鈥淲ild Ones鈥
- Jung Kook ft. Latto 鈥 鈥淪even鈥
- Post Malone ft. Morgan Wallen 鈥 鈥淚 Had Some Help鈥
- WINNER: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone 鈥 鈥淔ortnight鈥
BEST POP
- Camila Cabello
- Dua Lipa
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Tate McRae
- WINNER: Taylor Swift
BEST HIP-HOP
- Drake ft. Sexyy Red & SZA 鈥 鈥淩ich Baby Daddy 鈥
- WINNER: Eminem 鈥 鈥淗oudini鈥
- GloRilla 鈥 鈥淵eah Glo!鈥
- Gunna 鈥 鈥淔ukumean鈥
- Megan Thee Stallion 鈥 鈥淏OA鈥
- Travis Scott ft. Playboi Carti 鈥 鈥淔E!N鈥
BEST R&B
- Alicia Keys 鈥 鈥淟ifeline鈥
- Muni Long 鈥 鈥淢ade For Me鈥
- 奥滨狈狈贰搁:听SZA 鈥 鈥淪nooze鈥
- Tyla 鈥 鈥淲ater鈥
- Usher, Summer Walker, 21 Savage 鈥 鈥淕ood Good鈥 鈥
- Victoria Mon茅t 鈥 鈥淥n My Mama鈥
BEST ALTERNATIVE
- 奥滨狈狈贰搁:听Benson Boone 鈥 鈥淏eautiful Things鈥
- Bleachers 鈥 鈥淭iny Moves鈥
- Hozier 鈥 鈥淭oo Sweet鈥
- Imagine Dragons 鈥 鈥淓yes Closed鈥
- Linkin Park 鈥 鈥淔riendly Fire鈥
- Teddy Swims 鈥 鈥淟ose Control (Live)鈥
BEST ROCK
- Bon Jovi 鈥 鈥淟egendary鈥
- Coldplay 鈥 鈥淔eelslikeimfallinginlove鈥
- Green Day 鈥 鈥淒ilemma鈥
- Kings of Leon 鈥 鈥淢ustang鈥
- WINNER: Lenny Kravitz 鈥 鈥淗uman鈥
- U2 鈥 鈥淎tomic City鈥
BEST LATIN
- WINNER: Anitta 鈥 鈥淢il Veces鈥
- Bad Bunny 鈥 鈥淢onaco鈥
- Karol G 鈥 鈥淢i Ex Tenia Razon鈥
- Myke Towers 鈥 鈥淟ala鈥
- Peso Pluma & Anitta 鈥 鈥淏ellakeo鈥
- Rauw Alejandro 鈥 鈥淭ouching the Sky鈥
- Shakira & Cardi B 鈥 鈥淧unter铆a鈥
BEST AFROBEATS
- Ayra Starr ft. Giveon 鈥 鈥淟ast Heartbreak Song鈥
- Burna Boy 鈥 鈥淐ity Boys鈥
- Chris Brown ft. Davido & Lojay 鈥 鈥淪ensational鈥
- Tems 鈥 鈥淟ove Me JeJe鈥
- WINNER: Tyla 鈥 鈥淲ater鈥
- Usher, Pheelz 鈥 鈥淩uin鈥
BEST K-POP
- Jung Kook ft. Latto 鈥 鈥淪even鈥
- WINNER: Lisa 鈥 鈥淩ockstar鈥
- NCT Dream 鈥 鈥淪moothie鈥
- NewJeans 鈥 鈥淪uper Shy鈥
- Stray Kids 鈥 鈥淟alalala鈥
- Tomorrow X Together 鈥 鈥淒eja vu鈥
VIDEO FOR GOOD
- Alexander Stewart 鈥 鈥淚f You Only Knew鈥
- WINNER: Billie Eilish 鈥 鈥淲hat Was I Made For (From the Motion Picture 鈥淏arbie鈥)鈥
- Coldplay 鈥 鈥淔eelslikeimfallinginlove鈥
- Joyner Lucas & Jelly Roll 鈥 鈥淏est for Me鈥
- Raye 鈥 鈥淕enesis鈥
- Tyler Childers 鈥 鈥淚n Your Love鈥
BEST DIRECTION
- Ariana Grande 鈥 鈥淲e Can鈥檛 Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)鈥 鈥 Directed by Christian Breslauer
- Bleachers 鈥 鈥淭iny Moves鈥 鈥 Directed by Alex Lockett & Margaret Qualley
- Eminem 鈥 鈥淗oudini鈥 鈥 Directed by Rich Lee
- Megan Thee Stallion 鈥 鈥淏OA鈥 鈥 Directed by Daniel Iglesias Jr.
- Sabrina Carpenter 鈥 鈥淧lease Please Please鈥 鈥 Directed by Bardia Zeinali
- WINNER: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone 鈥 鈥淔ortnight鈥 鈥 Directed by Taylor Swift
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
- WINNER: Ariana Grande 鈥 鈥淲e Can鈥檛 Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)鈥 鈥 Cinematography by Anatol Trofimov
- Charli XCX 鈥 鈥淰on Dutch鈥 鈥 Cinematography by Jeff Bierman
- Dua Lipa 鈥 鈥淚llusion鈥 鈥 Cinematography by Nikita Kuzmenko
- Olivia Rodrigo 鈥 鈥淥bsessed鈥 鈥 Cinematography by Marz Miller
- Rauw Alejandro 鈥 鈥淭ouching the Sky鈥 鈥 Cinematography by Camilo Monsalve
- Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone 鈥 鈥淔ortnight鈥 鈥 Cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto
BEST EDITING
- Anitta 鈥 鈥淢il Veces鈥 鈥 Editing by Nick Yumul
- Ariana Grande 鈥 鈥淲e Can鈥檛 Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)鈥 鈥 Editing by Luis Caraza Peimbert
- Eminem 鈥 鈥淗oudini鈥 鈥 Editing by David Checel
- Lisa 鈥 鈥淩ockstar鈥 鈥 Editing by Nik Kohler
- Sabrina Carpenter 鈥 鈥淓spresso鈥 鈥 Editing by Jai Shukla
- WINNER: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone 鈥 鈥淔ortnight鈥 鈥 Editing by Chancler Haynes
BEST CHOREOGRAPHY
- Bleachers 鈥 鈥淭iny Moves鈥 鈥 Choreography by Margaret Qualley
- 奥滨狈狈贰搁:听Dua Lipa 鈥 鈥淗oudini鈥 鈥 Choreography by Charm La鈥橠onna
- Lisa 鈥 鈥淩ockstar鈥 鈥 Choreography by Sean Bankhead
- Rauw Alejandro 鈥 鈥淭ouching the Sky鈥 鈥 Choreography by Felix 鈥楩efe鈥 Burgos
- Tate McRae 鈥 鈥淕reedy鈥 鈥 Choreography by Sean Bankhead
- Troye Sivan 鈥 鈥淩ush鈥 鈥 Choreography by Sergio Reis, Mauro Van De Kerkhof
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
- Ariana Grande 鈥 鈥淭he Boy is Mine鈥 鈥 Visual Effects by Digital Axis
- 奥滨狈狈贰搁:听Eminem 鈥 鈥淗oudini鈥 鈥 Visual Effects by Synapse Virtual Production, Louise Lee, Rich Lee, Metaphysic, Flawless Post
- Justin Timberlake 鈥 鈥淪elfish鈥 鈥 Visual Effects by Candice Dragonas
- Megan Thee Stallion 鈥 鈥淏OA鈥 鈥 Visual Effects by Mathematic
- Olivia Rodrigo 鈥 鈥淕et Him Back!鈥 鈥 Visual Effects by Cooper Vacheron, Preston Mohr, Karen Arakelian, Justin Johnson
- Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone 鈥 鈥淔ortnight鈥 鈥 Visual Effects by Parliament
BEST ART DIRECTION
- Charli XCX 鈥 鈥360鈥 鈥 Art Direction by Grace Surnow
- Lisa 鈥 鈥淩ockstar鈥 鈥 Art Direction by Pongsan Thawatwichian
- 奥滨狈狈贰搁:听Megan Thee Stallion 鈥 鈥淏OA鈥 鈥 Art Direction by Brittany Porter
- Olivia Rodrigo 鈥 鈥淏ad Idea Right?鈥 鈥 Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins
- Sabrina Carpenter 鈥 鈥淧lease Please Please鈥 鈥 Art Direction by Nicholas des Jardins
- Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone 鈥 鈥淔ortnight鈥 鈥 Art Direction by Ethan Tobman
___
Chappell Roan won the MTV Video Music Award for best new artist.
"I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me," she said in her speech, while wearing chain mail, reading from a written speech in her diary. "And I dedicate this to queer and trans people who run pop. ... Thank you for listening."
Women dominated the award show, no example greater than an imaginative, medieval set from Roan.
Drag queen Sasha Colby introduced her with "your favorite drag queen's favorite artist," a reference to Roan's now famous Coachella performance, which in turn was inspired by Colby. Real fans no doubt got a kick out of the hyper-referential tidbit.
Roan appeared in armor, shooting a lit crossbow at castle gates that stood behind her, burning them in the process. Her dancers were knights, battling each other in incredible choreography as she sang her queer pop hit, "Good Luck, Babe."
The other voice of 2024 pop, Sabrina Carpenter, won the trophy for song of the year for "Espresso."
"This is really special," she said in her speech, dedicated to her fans. "And thank you to that me-espresso."
Earlier in the night, she brought her summery-pop to the award show, powering through her hit singles "Please Please Please," "Taste" and "Espresso" while dancing with a moon man and an alien.
Katy Perry received the Video Vanguard Award, performing an eight-song medley spanning her career: "Roar," "E.T.," "California Gurls," "Teenage Dream," "I Kissed a Girl," "Firework," and "Lifetimes."
"I did that all on the first day of my period, can you believe it?" she joked after accepting the honor from her partner, Orlando Bloom. "There are so many things that have to align to have a long and successful career as an artist. There are no decade long accidents."
She also teased a new song, "I'm His, He's Mine," featuring Doechii, which samples the Crystal Waters classic, "Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee La Da Da)."
Previous recipients of the Video Vanguard Award include Shakira, Beyonc茅, Minaj, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Missy Elliott.
An army of Slim Shady-lookalikes followed Eminem as he kicked off the VMAs , launching into a medley of his hits "Houdini" and "Somebody Save Me," featuring a broadcast feed of Jelly Roll. (The song references Jelly Roll's massive country radio hit, "Save Me.")
Megan Thee Stallion welcomed the crowd as a first-time host Wednesday night, who joked that the VMAs now stands for the "voluptuous Megan awards." She later performed.
Earlier in the evening, Karol G took over, for a fiery performance of her hit, "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido." Rauw Alejandro brought Puerto Rico to the stage, running through "Touching The Sky," "DILUIVO" and "D茅jame Entrar."
Tyla won the best Afrobeats award.
LL COOL J celebrated 40 years of Def Jam Records with Public Enemy's Flavor Flav and Chuck D.
Halsey took it to the suburbs for her new single, "Ego," channeling garage bands. GloRilla's "Yeah Glo!" and "TGIF" brought style.
Blackpink's LISA, the best K-pop award winner, made her way to the VMA stage for the first time as a soloist, powering through two of her brand-new singles, "New Woman" and "Rockstar." Shawn Mendes made along-awaited return, debuting a new John Mayer-esq. acoustic number, "Nobody Knows."
Anitta performed "Paradise," "Alegria," and "Savage Funk," joined by DJ Khaled, Fat Joe and Tiago PZK and won the award for best Latin. Camilla Cabello performed in a panopticon. Benson Boone seemed as stoked as ever to perform his viral hit "Beautiful Things" on the VMAs stage. Lenny Kravitz proved rock isn't dead with "Are You Gonna Go My Way," "Human" and finally "Fly," in which he was joined by Quavo.
The 40th VMAs were held at the UBS Arena on New York's Long Island.
The night was stacked with celebrities and featured plenty of Swift, who arrived at the award show wearing a green tartan corset with a matching train and long black leather gloves.
Throughout the night, MTV flashed back to history-making across the VMAs' 40-year-run, including Britney Spears' albino python and Madonna's performance of "Like A Virgin."