Watch Madonna Bring Out Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX at the 2026 VMAs
Sombr, Julia Garner, and a joint-smoking Seth Rogen showed up too
Tonight, Madonna reclaimed her VMAs throne by performing at the ceremony for the first time in 23 years. She kicked the show off with a little help from Sabrina Carpenter, alongside bondage dancers acting as steadicam operators, for the duo’s single “Bring Your Love.” Later, Charli XCX walked out of a bathroom stall to perform “ Danceteria Afterhours ,” the just-released remix to Madonna’s Confessions II track “Danceteria.” There were also cameos from Julia Garner, Debi Mazar, Sombr, and Seth Rogen smoking a joint. You can watch it below.
Madonna is the most-nominated artist at this year’s MTV VMAs. She earned 11 nods, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Album, on the strength of her new album, Confessions II . This is the third time Madonna has led the VMA nominations, having earned nine for “Ray of Light” and “Frozen” in 1998, and nine for “Vogue” in 1990.
The last time Madonna opened a VMAs ceremony was in 2003, and it was one for the history books: she sang a medley with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera before they famously locked lips onstage. Previously, Madonna sang “Vogue” at the awards show in 1990 in an 18 th century French-insipred setup, and headlined the very first VMAs in 1984 while singing “Like a Virgin.”
Revisit the review of Madonna’s new album, Confessions II , and follow along with all of Pitchfork’s coverage of the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards .
