From the performances to the acceptance speeches, the MTV Video Music Awards had viewers talking all night. The awards show, hosted by Miley Cyrus and broadcast live from Los Angeles, featured the likes of Taylor Swift, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj. Missed the action live? Here are the top 5 moments from the show.
1. Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj took the stage together: Swift opened the show not only with her new music video for “Wildest Dreams”, but performing with Minaj, who if you recall, she had a bit of beef with a few weeks back over the nominations for the VMAs. They performed “Bad Blood” in an ironic twist and hugged after the set, laughing afterwards. It was a surprising way to kick off the show.
2. Miley Cyrus’s hosting performance: The candid and outgoing host kicked off the night with a crazy “marijuana” selfie to rival Ellen DeGeneres’ record breaker from the Oscars last year, and then managed to laugh off a slight launched at her by Nicki Minaj. The only thing more shocking than her newfound beef with the rapper? Her costumes. Throughout the night, Cyrus hit the stage in outfits that made her 2013 VMA costume look tame.
She closed the night with a performance that was as wacky as you’d expect. The outfits were colorful and the lyrics were not soft-spoken, as about 30 dancers joined the pop star on stage. Cyrus gave the audience a look into what her “Bangerz” tour is really like. “Thank you for tuning into the f—– VMAs, I’ll see you next year,” she yelled.
She also announced a new album.
3. Justin Bieber made a comeback: Bieber performed at the VMAs for the first time in years and came out in a mysterious, soulful black silhouette, making it all about the music. First he performed, “Where Are You Now?” followed by “What do You Mean?” and had the crowd singing along. Bieber went out into the crowd for a bit, slapping hands with fans before getting emotional toward the end of his set.
4. Kanye West announced his run for President: West, the recipient of this year’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard award, used his time on stage to explain his 2009 feud with Taylor Swift, bash awards shows and encourage fans to be true to themselves. He ended by announcing his intention to run for President in 2020.
5. Taylor Swift had a huge night: Swift went into the VMAs with the most nominations and took home a bevy of Moonmen. With her “Bad Blood” video co-stars there to support her, Swift took home the biggest award of the night, Video of the Year, and ended her acceptance speech on a sentimental note. “I’m just happy that in 2015, we live in a world where boys can play princesses and girls can play soldiers,” she said.