MTV Video Music Awards viewers have called on organizers to “pull the plug” after the latest ceremony was beset by delays, absences and lackluster moments.
Hosted by Snoop Dogg, this year’s event took place Sunday night at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California.
Taylor Swift, Lisa Rinna and Adam Lambert were among the stars who appeared on the red carpet ahead of the ceremony.
However, despite performances from major acts including Madonna, Sabrina Carpenter and Shaboozey, the annual awards show appeared to leave many viewers cold.
Former fans turned to X to criticize the “boring” broadcast, with some questioning whether the VMAs still have a future.
“Getting the feeling this might be the last VMAs,” one viewer posted.
Another wrote: “There’s no shame in bowing out gracefully. Gotta read the room.”
“I thought it was just me, this sh** is boring,” a third person said, while another added: “Honestly, the VMAs have felt like a funeral for years.”
Viewers called for the MTV Video Music Awards to be canceled after Sunday night’s troubled ceremony
“We say this every single year. Honestly just pull the plug,” another critic wrote.
Addressing MTV directly, one viewer asked simply: “What was that?”
Problems began before the ceremony had properly got underway.
Fans tuning in for the show’s highly anticipated opening were instead met with an NFL game between the Cowboys and Ravens on the network broadcasting the event.
“Hold tight, the 2026 #VMAs will take off after the football game finishes. Live, coming up on CBS and streaming on Paramount+!” the official VMAs X account announced, frustrating viewers further.
The awards show finally began on the network at approximately 7:50 p.m.—20 minutes behind schedule—after the opening performance had already ended and the first award had been presented.
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The event was also missing several major names from the music industry, including Ariana Grande, Zara Larsson, Olivia Rodrigo and Lady Gaga.
Madonna, meanwhile, faced backlash over what viewers described as an “utterly unfocused” comeback performance. Critics accused her of lip-syncing and expressed concern that she appeared out of breath onstage.
Zara Larsson was among the prominent music stars who did not attend the ceremony
Olivia Rodrigo, left, and Ariana Grande, right, were also absent from this year’s VMAs
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Later, the 68-year-old star sensationally forgot what award she was on stage to accept from Charli XCX and Troye Sivan.
‘What is this for, again?’ she quipped after winning Best Dance for Confessions II – The Film, before Charli XCX opened the announcement card to jog her memory.
She then bizarrely announced that she had a laser ‘stuck’ up her posterior before leaving the stage in bizarre scenes.
Additionally, there were also several categories excluded from this year’s telecast – including Song of the Year.
This also sparked outrage on social media as one fan mocked: ‘Excluding awards from an award show?’
Another added: ‘Why didn’t they include Song of the Year??? SH**TY AWARD SHOW.’
The MTV Video Music Awards have been running for 42 years since their inception in 1984.
It has produced some iconic moments over the years, from Madonna’s famous on-stage kiss with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera in 2003 to Gaga’s meat dress in 2010.