Madonna to Open 2026 MTV VMAs With First Performance at Show in 23 Years

Madonna will open the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on September 27, marking her first live performance at the awards show in 23 years. CBS and MTV announced the Madonna 2026 MTV VMAs performance Wednesday as the ceremony prepares to return to Los Angeles with Snoop Dogg as host.

The performance adds another major role for the singer at a ceremony where she already leads the field with a career-high 11 nominations. According to the CBS and MTV announcement, Madonna will open the broadcast fresh off the release of her album Confessions II.

Madonna 2026 MTV VMAs performance ends a 23-year absence

Madonna last performed live at the VMAs in 2003, when she opened the ceremony alongside Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Missy Elliott. Her return therefore brings her back to the same opening position she occupied during one of the most widely remembered performances in the show’s history.

The singer’s connection to the VMAs stretches back even further. She performed “Like a Virgin” at the inaugural ceremony in 1984 and received the Video Vanguard Award in 1986. Her later VMA appearances included performances built around “Vogue” and other major releases from different stages of her career.

Her official website also confirmed Wednesday’s announcement, including the 23-year gap between live VMA performances and her return as this year’s leading nominee.

Madonna enters the VMAs with 11 nominations

The performance announcement arrives after Madonna’s 11 VMA nominations put her at the top of the 2026 field. Her nominations include Video of the Year for Confessions II – The Film, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year for “Bring Your Love,” her collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter.

She is also nominated in Best Collaboration and Best Dance, along with craft categories recognizing direction, art direction, cinematography, editing, choreography and visual effects. CBS and MTV say this is the third year in Madonna’s career that she has led the VMA nominations. She previously received nine nominations in both 1990 and 1998.

Variety independently confirmed the performance announcement and the 23-year interval since Madonna last performed on the VMA stage.

Snoop Dogg will host the Los Angeles ceremony

Madonna will open a show led by Snoop Dogg, whose hosting assignment was announced earlier this month. The rapper will also serve as an executive producer as the VMAs return to the Los Angeles area for the first time since 2017.

The ceremony will originate from the Peacock Theater at L.A. LIVE on Sunday, September 27. It is scheduled to air from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET, or 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. PT, on CBS and MTV while streaming live through Paramount+ Premium in the United States. CBS and MTV say the show will become available internationally through Paramount+ and MTV the following day.

The announcement also brings together two performers with decades of VMA history. Madonna leads this year’s nominees, while Snoop has appeared across multiple eras of the ceremony as a performer, nominee and winner.

More 2026 VMA announcements are still coming

Madonna’s opening slot is not expected to complete the show’s lineup. CBS and MTV said additional performers, presenters and special guests will be announced before the September 27 broadcast.

The ceremony already has several established storylines. Madonna enters with 11 nominations, Taylor Swift follows with nine, and Nirvana has been named the 2026 Video Vanguard recipient. Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter are also among the year’s most-nominated artists.

For Madonna, however, the opening performance adds a live component to what was already shaping up to be a significant VMA night. More than four decades after her first defining appearance at the awards, the Madonna 2026 MTV VMAs performance will put her back at the beginning of the show for the first time since 2003.