2024 MTV Video Music Awards: Every Viral Moment and Must-See Performance

Television By TooFab Staff |
Getty

The VMAs are back, back, back again!

This year, the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards went down at the UBS Arena in New York, with Megan Thee Stallion taking over as host for the evening.

Going into the night, Taylor Swift led the nominations with 12 total, followed by Post Malone with 11, Eminem with 8, and Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion, Sabrina Carpenter and SZA behind them with 7 apiece.

The night was packed with performances, with a lineup featuring Anitta (ft Fat Joe, DJ Khaled + Tiago PZK), Benson Boone, Camila Cabello, Chappell Roan, Doechii, Eminem, GloRilla, Halsey, KAROL G, Lenny Kravitz, LISA, LL COOL J, Quavo, Rauw Alejandro, Sabrina Carpenter and Shawn Mendes.

Katy Perry also received the Video Vanguard Award, after giving an epic performance of her biggest hits and a preview of ones to come.

2024 MTV VMAs: The Good, Bad & WTF Red Carpet Fashion View Photos

Chappell Roan Cusses Out Photographer

The excitement started on the red carpet, where Chappell Roan made waves after she was seen cussing out a photographer while posing for pictures.

For some reason, someone in the crowd yelled, "Shut the f--k up!" and something about Roan turning around, catching her attention. She responded by yelling, "You shut the f--k up!" right back, before later explaining what happened to Entertainment Tonight.

"This is quite overwhelming and quite scary. I think for someone who gets a lot of anxiety around people yelling at you, the carpet is horrifying and I yelled back," she explained. "You don't get to yell at me like that!"

Eminem Kicks Off the Show

Slim Shady's back again.

Eminem got the show started with a performance of "Houdini," hitting the stage with a blonde wig while surrounded by lookalikes. He then ditched the hairpiece and swapped it for a trademark black hat, while breaking into "Save Me," his track with Jelly Roll.

Fans were living ... and so was Taylor Swift, who was seen dancing in the audience to his performance for the first time of the night.

Flavor Flav Surprises Jordan Chiles

In a moment that came as a surprise to both Olympian Jordan Chiles and the audience watching at home and in New York's UBS center, Flavor Flav presented Chiles with a blinged out bronze replica of the bronze medal that was taken from her after the International Olympic Committee's ruling following an error in scoring during her the floor competition.

It wasn't the only surprise Flav had in store however, with the outlandish rapper also revealing that he had the prize money Chiles lost by placing third in the competition waiting for her backstage.

Flav went viral again when he presented the first award of the night to Taylor Swift, as the rapper has made it very clear he's a full-on Swiftie.

Taylor Swift Wins First & Last Awards of the Night

Taylor Swift won the first award of the night -- picking up the Moon Person for Best Collab thanks to "Fortnite," her collaboration with Post Malone.

She used her speech to remember the lives lost on 9/11, as the show was also held on the 23rd anniversary.

Swift then went on to call Malone everyone's favorite person to collaborate with, calling him "so unfailingly polite" and joking it's taken her forever to get him to "stop calling me ma'am." He followed up her speech by praising Swift, calling her "one of the most kind and talented people I've ever had the honor of knowing" and celebrating her work ethic.

Taylor also picked up the final award of the evening, taking home Video of the Year for the same song. As fans cheered her name like wild, Swift said she had the most "wonderful experience" directing the video, thanking cameo stars Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles, as well as the rest of the crew.

She added the video was "the most fun" to film, thanking her boyfriend Travis Kelce for keeping her laughing on set by woo-hooing off-camera.

"Everything this man touches turns to happiness and magic," she added of her beau, saying, "I'll always remember that."

Addison Rae's Barely-There Outfit

Addison Rae certainly had all eyes on her when she hit the stage to introduce Karol G's performance.

The TikTok star-turned-singer/actress showed up to the VMAs in an outfit that consisted of a bra, underwear and tulle train, showing some serious skin.

There's not much more to this one, but she had people talking and the reaction was split.

Megan Thee Stallion Channels Britney Spears

After a video package revisiting some of the most iconic VMA moments of all time highlighted Britney Spears' performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U," host Megan Thee Stallion hit the screen in a carbon copy of her outfit.

She also had a real-life python around her neck ... though she clearly wasn't feeling it.

After squealing to get it off her -- exclaiming, "I'm just playing. I don't know this snake. This snake don't know me" -- she added that she had to keep it legit to pay homage to Spears.

Sabrina Carpenter Kills It

Summing things up, Megan Thee Stallion told "Sabrina Carpenter, you just killed it" following her performance.

The singer crushed her medley of "Please Please Please," "Taste" and "Espresso," with the audience singing along at the top of their lungs so loudly it almost overpowered Carpenter's vocals.

She also kept the Britney Spears tributes coming during the performance, recreating moments from the pop icon's "Oops ... I Did It Again" music video.

Some viewers noticed that in the audience for the performance was her ex, Shawn Mendes -- who some of the songs on her Short n' Sweet album are speculated to be about. Others, meanwhile, made the same "transgender operations on illegal aliens" joke, referencing Donald Trump's wild debate comments.

Katy Perry's Vanguard Performance & Speech

Katy Perry was given the Video Vanguard Award on Wednesday's show, with an introduction from her other half, Orlando Bloom.

She performed an epic medley of her biggest hits, including "Teenage Dream," "California Girls," "Firework," "Dark Horse," "ET," and "I Kissed a Girl," along with "Lifetimes" and "I'm His, He's Mine" from her upcoming album 143, with Doechii joining her on stage for the latter. Both Bloom's reaction to the latter and Taylor Swift's also went a bit viral.

Bloom handed Perry the special Moonperson, before the couple had a steamy moment, sharing a smooch. "Thank you I did that all on the first day of my period too. Can you believe it?" she began, referring to her epic Vanguard performance.

"Thank you, MTV for believing in my weirdness from Day 1, and for helping artists extend their worlds beyond a song. There are so many things that have to align to have a long and successful career as an artist. There are no decades-long accidents."

She also referenced her NSFW Call Her Daddy interview, quipping, "Thank you to Orlando for keeping me grounded, celebrated and doing the dishes."

At one point, Katy also thanked the queer community for teaching her "that you can be both kind and c--t," with Swift's reaction to that comment also going viral. After Perry said it, Swift was seen turning to Jack Antonoff in the audience, as he pointed to her, before Taylor nodded her head in agreement.

Waiting for your permission to load the Instagram Media.

Chappell Roan Makes Her Big VMA Debut

After one helluva 2024, Chappell Roan's firsts keep coming.

The singer kicked off her performance with "Good Luck, Babe," hitting the stage in a Joan of Arc-inspired outfit while flanked by armor-wearing backup dancers wielding swords. She even had pyrotechnics to match her fiery vocals, as she made a killer debut on the MTV stage.

Other Must-Watch Performances

The night was jam-packed with performances, ending with a tribute celebrating 40 years of Def Jam headlined by LL Cool J.

The medley wrapped up a night featuring other performances from stars including Lenny Kravitz, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello, Anitta, Lisa, Benson Boone and Karol G.

Watch everything you missed below!