The best of the VMAs: Biggest moments, clips from MTV awards show

NEW YORK — Aliens, flaming crossbows and pythons? For the MTV Video Music Awards, this is 40.
Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Lenny Kravitz and more artists rocked the UBS Arena on Long Island during Wednesday’s 40th VMAs, a lively concert where, occasionally, awards were also handed out. The evening mixed nostalgic acts and homages to the VMAs’ wild history with inventive performances by the hot new artists dominating the Billboard charts today.
Megan Thee Stallion nailed her double duties as host and performer for the ceremony, which used a sprawling stage and had a 62-foot tall Moon Person towering over the audience, its helmet doubling as a screen.
These were the biggest moments from the night, which might just be included in a clip package of the VMAs’ greatest hits in another 40 years.
Will the real Slim Shady please stand up?
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Eminem opened the show with some early 2000s nostalgia, wearing a blonde wig as he entered the arena surrounded by dozens of people dressed like his alter ego Slim Shady. It was the first of numerous throwbacks to the VMAs of yesteryear, evoking a 2000 performance where Eminem also sang surrounded by lookalikes.
But the performance of “Houdini” may have made for a slightly uncomfortable backstage moment given it includes a line mocking VMAs host Megan Thee Stallion for being shot in the feet by Tory Lanez in 2020.
“If I was to ask for Megan Thee Stallion if she would collab with me, would I really have a shot at a feat?” he rapped, shortly before Megan Thee Stallion herself took the stage as host.
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but Taylor Swift had a great night at an awards show.
The pop superstar took home another seven VMAs on Wednesday, including best collaboration and video of the year for “Fortnight,” as well as artist of the year for the second year in a row. Swift now holds the record for the most career VMA wins of any solo artist, with 30.
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Fans in the UBS Arena let out ear-shattering screams as Swift thanked “my boyfriend Travis (Kelce),” who wasn’t in attendance, while accepting video of the year.
“Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic,” she said.
On a more poignant note, the “Tortured Poets Department” singer took a moment earlier in the night to acknowledge the fact that the show fell on Sept. 11. “I’ve just been thinking about what happened 23 years ago, everyone who lost a loved one and everyone that we lost,” she said. “That is the most important thing about today.”
Flavor Flav continues to be the world’s leading Olympics hype man.
While on stage with Jordan Chiles, the rapper bemoaned the fact that “they tried to take your medal away from you,” referring to the fact that the 23-year-old gymnast was controversially stripped of a bronze medal during the Paris Olympics. After a wave of boos, Flavor Flav announced that he “got you something that they can’t take away from you” and placed a bronze clock medal around Chiles’ neck.
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“Wow,” she said. “I don’t even know what to say here. Thank you so much.”
Flavor Flav was following through on a promise after telling Chiles on X in August that he would “make you a BRONZE CLOCK NECKLACE,” which is “something NO ONE else has.”
Sabrina Carpenter had the VMAs audience wrapped around her finger during a performance that was out of this world — literally.
The singer’s medley of “Please Please Please,” “Taste” and “Espresso” received one of the most enthusiastic reactions from the crowd all night. She started off by dangling in the air on a giant diamond before descending onto the stage and dancing alongside astronauts and a person in an alien suit — whom she proceeded to make out with.
Later, Carpenter’s massively popular “Espresso” was awarded song of the year, marking her first VMA win ever.
“I’ve literally never won one of these,” said Carpenter, who thanked her fans and her “cats and dogs that are at home watching” before quipping, “And thank you to that me espresso.”
Chappell Roan may not have performed “Hot to Go,” but the stage still got pretty hot during her medieval-themed performance of “Good Luck, Babe.”
Wearing a suit of armor, Roan emerged from behind a gate and fired a crossbow into a castle backdrop that went up in flames before performing the song alongside dancing, sword-wielding knights.
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The “Red Wine Supernova” singer, who has recently been speaking out against stalking and harassment from fans, appeared overwhelmed after being awarded best new artist — four years after being dropped by her label.
Placing her VMA down on the stage, Roan said she would be reading her speech directly from her diary, and she dedicated the award to drag artists and queer and trans people.
“For all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now: I see you, I understand you because I’m one of you, and don’t ever let anyone tell you that you can’t be exactly who you want to be,” said Roan, who is originally from Missouri.
Katy Perry may be in her flop era if you ask social media, but you wouldn’t know it from the way she was warmly embraced by the VMAs crowd on Wednesday.
The former “American Idol” judge had fans belting out the lyrics to her hits like “I Kissed a Girl” before she accepted the Video Vanguard award for lifetime achievement presented by her fiancé, Orlando Bloom. Swift, who infamously once had bad blood with Perry before they patched things up, was spotted dancing to Perry’s set.
“I did that all on my first day of my period, too,” Perry joked after her performance. “Can you believe it?”
After Perry received brutal reviews for her July single “Woman’s World,” she urged other artists to “block out all the noise” like she does.
“Turn off social media,” Perry recommended. “Safeguard your mental health. Pause. Touch grass.”
Contributing: Cydney Henderson, Bryan West and Melissa Ruggieri