Ariana Grande accepts the Best Pop Award for "Brighter Days Ahead" during the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for MTV)Ariana Grande accepted the award for Video of the Year, closing out the 2025 MTV Video Music awards Sunday night.LL Cool J hosted the awards, which paid tribute to music icons throughout the night, including Ricky Martin, who received the first-ever Latin Icon Award following an electric performance on the main stage, and Busta Rhymes, who was honored with the MTV VMA Rock the Bells Visionary Award. Mariah Carey was presented with the Video Vanguard Award by Grande earlier in the night.
Fans were also treated to an array of great performances, including from Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and J Balvin. Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, YUNGBLUD and Nuno Bettencourt delivered a head-banging tribute in honor of the recently deceased "Prince of Darkness," Ozzy Osbourne.
Follow along with the blog below for Yahoo's live coverage of the star-studded awards show and the red carpet.VMAs announces more winners on X after live show endsThe MTV Moon Person award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for MTV)The VMAs wrapped up around 11 p.m. ET, and then took to social media to announce the winners of the remaining categories that were not addressed during the show or the preshow.
Best Pop Artist: Sabrina CarpenterBest Hip-Hop: Doechii, "Anxiety"Best Rock: Coldplay, "All My Love"Best Latin: Shakira, "Soltera"Best Long-form Video: Ariana Grande, "brighter days ahead"Video for Good: Charli xcx, "Guess" feat. Billie EilishBest Group BLACKPINKBest Direction: Lady Gaga, "Abracadabra"Best Cinematography: Kendrick Lamar, "Not Like Us"Best Visual Effects: Sabrina Carpenter, "Manchild"Best Choreography: Doechii, "Anxiety"Best Art Direction: Lady Gaga, "Abracadabra"Best Editing: Tate McRae, "Just Keep Watching"Ariana Grande wins Video of the YearAriana Grande accepts the Video of the Year Award for "Brighter Days Ahead." (Manny Carabel/Getty Images for MTV)Ariana Grande accepted one of the most coveted awards at the VMAs, the Video of the Year, which she won for "Brighter Days Ahead.""Art has been a safe space for me since I was a kid," Grande said during her second acceptance speech of the night. "I'm so grateful that I get to do this with my life and to have such fiercely loving and supportive fans."Grande, who has not been to the VMAs since 2018, presented the Video Vanguard Award to Mariah Carey earlier tonight and thanked everyone who helped her produce the Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days album when it won for Best Pop.
Conan Gray performs 'Vodka Cranberry' Conan Gray. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for MTV)Conan Gray put a Shakespearean spin on his song "Vodka Cranberry" by featuring Corey Fogelmanis as his Romeo, dying on a bed of flowers. Fogelmanis had appeared in Gray's music video for the song.
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars win Best CollaborationLady Gaga and Bruno Mars won Best Collaboration for their single "Die With a Smile," which they first released as a single in August 2024. The song also won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in February.
Gaga has won this VMAs category twice before: In 2010 for "Telephone" with Beyoncé and in 2020 for "Rain on Me" with Ariana Grande. This is Mars's fourth time being nominated for Best Collaboration, and the first time he's won.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAriana Grande wins Best Pop for 'Brighter Days Ahead': 'Thank you to my therapists and gay people'Ariana Grande accepting the Best Pop award. (Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images)Ariana Grande won Best Pop for her music video, "Brighter Days Ahead."Overwhelmed with gratitude, Grande began her acceptance speech by thanking her fans, affectionately known as Arianators."I have to say, thank you, first and foremost, to my fans. I love you with every fiber of my being," she said, before shouting out several of her collaborators on the album, like director Christian Breslauer. "Thank you so much for bringing these songs and this vision to life and articulating them visually in a way that was fanciful and yet specific, and vulnerable and yet protective, all at once. Oh my goodness, you guys. You are the best. The best in the world. I just want to say these videos that mean so much and define us as artists forever. Take a village."Added Grande, "Thank you to my therapists and gay people. I love you."Sombr performs after intro by Meg Stalter Sombr. (Manny Carabel/Getty Images for MTV)After an introduction by Hacks and Too Much star Meg Stalter, 20-year-old alternative artist Sombr (real name: Shane Michael Boose) took the stage to perform his hit "Back to Friends." Earlier in the night the singer took home the Best Alternative award for the track.
Meg Stalter. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for MTV)Sabrina Carpenter wins Best Album for 'Short n' Sweet': 'I'm just the luckiest girl in the world'Sabrina Carpenter accepting the Best Album Award. (Manny Carabel/Getty Images fo