One of the night’s most anticipated moments will be a special tribute to Dolly Parton, with Musgraves returning to the VMAs stage for her first performance at the ceremony in five years. Musgraves, who is nominated this year for best country for “Dry Spell,” will perform in honor of the country music icon.
There will also be a tribute to George Michael featuring RAYE, sombr and Teddy Swims, while Nirvana will receive this year’s Video Vanguard Award, 34 years after the band first performed at the VMAs in 1992.
The honor recognizes Swift’s increasingly expansive body of work behind the camera, including videos for “The Man,” “cardigan,” “willow,” “Anti-Hero,” “Bejeweled,” “Fortnight” and “The Fate of Ophelia,” as well as “All Too Well: The Short Film.” Swift enters this year’s ceremony with nine nominations.
The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards air live Sunday, Sept. 27 at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT on CBS and MTV. Stream the VMAs live online free on DirecTV.
