Overview
- Ariana Grande won Video of the Year for “Brighter Days Ahead” and also took Best Pop for the same track.
- Lady Gaga was named Artist of the Year after leading the field in nominations and delivering a high-profile performance.
- Mariah Carey accepted the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, Ricky Martin received the inaugural Latin Icon Award, and an Ozzy Osbourne tribute gathered Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, Yungblud and Nuno Bettencourt.
- MTV added Best Country and Best Artist Pop to the ballot, and the show aired on CBS for the first time with streams on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.
- Sabrina Carpenter won Best Album for Short n’ Sweet and Alex Warren was recognized as Best New Artist, in a night hosted by LL Cool J at UBS Arena.