Need to Knows
- The 2025 MTV VMAs air Sept. 7 live from New York’s UBS Arena.
- LL COOL J is set to host
- Jelly Roll, Doja Cat, Post Malone, Tate McRae, and Conan Gray were just added to the lineup.
- Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, and Ricky Martin will all receive special honors.
Star-Studded Performances at the 2025 MTV VMAs
This year’s MTV Video Music Awards are shaping up to be one of the biggest yet. The newly announced performers—Jelly Roll, Doja Cat, Post Malone, Tate McRae, and Conan Gray—will join an already stacked list that includes Mariah Carey, Sabrina Carpenter, Alex Warren, Busta Rhymes, J Balvin with DJ Snake, Ricky Martin, and sombr.
LL COOL J is set to host the Sept. 7 broadcast live from UBS Arena in New York.
Major Honors for Music Icons
The night will also spotlight trailblazers in the industry:
- Mariah Carey will receive the Video Vanguard Award, honoring her decades of influence.
- Busta Rhymes will be presented the Rock the Bells Visionary Award.
- Ricky Martin will make VMAs history as the first-ever recipient of the Latin Icon Award, nearly three decades after his groundbreaking 1999 performance of “Livin’ la Vida Loca.”
Martin’s 1999 VMAs sweep included five wins, marking the first time a Latin artist received a nomination for Video of the Year.
Lady Gaga Leads 2025 VMA Nominations
On the awards front, Lady Gaga heads into the night with a leading 12 nominations across top categories including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Best Album. Already holding 18 VMAs to her name, Gaga is looking to expand her legacy.
This marks the third time she has led the nomination count—following 2010, when she earned 13 nods, and 2020, when she tied for the most with nine.
