What Time Do The 2025 MTV VMAs Start? Here’s Everything To Know

The world’s biggest music artists are heading to New York’s UBS Arena for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sept. 7. Read on to discover everything about tonight’s star-studded ceremony, including start time, nominees, performers, honorees and more.

The VMAs celebrate the year’s best music videos while featuring tributes and performances from both breakout stars and legends. This year’s ceremony introduced new categories — Best Country and Best Pop Artist — as well as a new honor, the Rock the Bells Visionary Award.

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are currently tied with the most VMA wins ever (30), and both superstars are nominated for Artist of the Year. E! News reported that Swift will not attend tonight’s awards show, while Beyoncé’s attendance remains uncertain. (Beyoncé skipped last year’s ceremony despite receiving three nominations.)

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Lady Gaga is the most-nominated artist of the evening, and the Mayhem singer hopes to add to her collection of 18 VMA awards with nominations in Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Best Album and more. Gaga is also expected to perform, along with Sabrina Carpenter, Post Malone, J Balvin and others.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2025 MTV VMAs, including the exact time to tune in for the main show and red carpet.

What Time Do The 2025 MTV VMAs Start?

The 2025 MTV VMAs will begin 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, MTV and Paramount+ on Sunday, Sept. 7.

Discover how to watch the ceremony on cable, streaming and for free below.

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What Time Is The 2025 MTV VMAs Red Carpet?

The 2025 VMAs Red Carpet will begin at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT, approximately one hour before the main ceremony. You can watch the pre-show on MTV, BET, BET Her, Comedy Central, CMT, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Paramount Network, Pop, TV Land, and VH1.

Who Is Hosting The 2025 MTV VMAs?

Rapper LL Cool J is hosting the 2025 MTV VMAs. While he previously shared hosting duties in 2022 with Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow, this year marks his first time hosting solo. In 1997, LL Cool J made history as the first rapper to receive the Video Vanguard Award.

“I’m giving people a night off from all the madness in the world… so they can have a good time and enjoy music and enjoy everything about music, all the different genres, all the different generations,” the rapper told People ahead of the show.

Who Is Performing At The 2025 MTV VMAs?

The star-studded evening will feature performances from nominees including Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, Alex Warren, and more. Honorees such as Mariah Carey, Busta Rhymes, and Ricky Martin will also take the stage. Additionally, there will be a tribute to heavy metal legend Ozzy Osbourne, who passed away in July. Performers include:

• Alex Warren
• Bailey Zimmerman feat. the Kid LAROI (Extended Play Stage)
• Busta Rhymes (VMA Rock the Bells Visionary Award)
• Conan Gray
• Doja Cat
• J Balvin featuring DJ Snake
• Jelly Roll
• KATSEYE (Pre-Show)
• Lady Gaga
• Lola Young (Extended Play Stage)
• Mariah Carey (MTV Video Vanguard Award)
• Megan Moroney (Extended Play Stage)
• Post Malone
• Tate McRae
• Ricky Martin (Latin Icon Award)
• Nuno Bettencourt (Ozzy Osbourne tribute)
• Sabrina Carpenter
• sombr
• Steven Tyler & Joe Perry (Ozzy Osbourne tribute)
• YUNGBLUD (Ozzy Osbourne tribute)

Who Is Presenting At The 2025 MTV VMAs?

Singers, actors, TV personalities and influencers will be presenting awards at the MTV VMAs tonight. Check out the full list below.

• Ashlee Simpson Ross
• Brittany Snow
• Ciara
• Drew Barrymore
• KPop Demon Hunter’s EJAE, REI AMI + Audrey Nuna (HUNTR/X)
• Ice Spice
• Jessica Simpson
• Latto
• Livvy Dunne
• Malin Ackerman
• Meg Stalter
• Nikki Glaser
• Paris Hilton

Who Is Nominated At The 2025 MTV VMAs?

Lady Gaga leads this year’s MTV VMA nominations with 12, including nods in major categories such as Video of the Year, Artist of the Year and Best Album. She is followed by Bruno Mars with 11, Kendrick Lamar with 10 and ROSÉ and Sabrina Carpenter with eight nominations each.

Video of the Year

• Ariana Grande — “brighter days ahead”
• Billie Eilish — “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
• Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — “Die with a Smile”
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”
• Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”
• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti — “Timeless”

Artist of the Year

• Bad Bunny
• Beyoncé
• Kendrick Lamar
• Lady Gaga
• Morgan Wallen
• Taylor Swift
• The Weeknd

Song of the Year

• Alex Warren — “Ordinary”
• Billie Eilish — “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
• Doechii — “Anxiety”
• Ed Sheeran — “Sapphire”
• Gracie Abrams — “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — “Die with a Smile”
• Lorde — “What Was That”
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”
• Tate McRae — “Sports Car”
• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti — “Timeless”

Best New Artist

• Alex Warren
• Ella Langley
• Gigi Perez
• Lola Young
• sombr
• The Marías

Best Pop Artist

• Ariana Grande
• Charli XCX
• Justin Bieber
• Lorde
• Miley Cyrus
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Tate McRae

MTV Push Performance of the Year

• August 2024 — Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
• September 2024 — Ayra Starr — “Last Heartbreak Song”
• October 2024 — Mark Ambor — “Belong Together”
• November 2024 — Lay Bankz — “Graveyard”
• December 2024 — Dasha — “Bye Bye Bye”
• January 2025 — KATSEYE — “Touch”
• February 2025 — Jordan Adetunji — “KEHLANI”
• March 2025 — Leon Thomas — “YES IT IS”
• April 2025 — Livingston — “Shadow”
• May 2025 — Damiano David — “Next Summer”
• June 2025 — Gigi Perez — “Sailor Song”
• July 2025 — ROLE MODEL — “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”

Best Collaboration

• Bailey Zimmerman with Luke Combs — “Backup Plan (Stagecoach Official Music Video)”
• Kendrick Lamar & SZA — “luther”
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — “Die with a Smile”
• Post Malone featuring Blake Shelton — “Pour Me a Drink”
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”
• Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco — “Sunset Blvd”

Best Pop

• Alex Warren — “Ordinary”
• Ariana Grande — “brighter days ahead”
• Ed Sheeran — “Sapphire”
• Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars — “Die with a Smile”
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”
• Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”

Best Hip Hop

• Doechii — “Anxiety”
• Drake — “NOKIA”
• Eminem featuring Jelly Roll — “Somebody Save Me”
• GloRilla featuring Sexyy Red — “WHATCHU KNO ABOUT ME”
• Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
• LL Cool J featuring Eminem — “Murdergram Deux”
• Travis Scott — “4X4”

Best R&B

• Chris Brown — “Residuals”
• Leon Thomas & Freddie Gibbs — “MUTT (REMIX)”
• Mariah Carey — “Type Dangerous”
• PARTYNEXTDOOR — “N o C h i l l”
• Summer Walker — “Heart of a Woman”
• SZA — “Drive”
• The Weeknd, Playboi Carti — “Timeless”

Best Alternative

• Gigi Perez — “Sailor Song”
• Imagine Dragons — “Wake Up”
• Lola Young — “Messy”
• mgk & Jelly Roll — “Lonely Road”
• sombr — “back to friends”
• The Marías — “Back to Me”

Best Rock

• Coldplay — “ALL MY LOVE”
• Evanescence — “Afterlife” (From the Netflix series ‘Devil May Cry’)
• Green Day — “One Eyed Bastard”
• Lenny Kravitz — “Honey”
• Linkin Park — “The Emptiness Machine”
• Twenty One Pilots — “The Contract”

Best Latin

• Bad Bunny — “BAILE INoLVIDABLE”
• J Balvin — “Rio”
• Karol G — “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido”
• Peso Pluma — “LA PATRULLA”
• Rauw Alejandro & Romeo Santos — “Khé?”
• Shakira — “Soltera”

Best K-Pop

• aespa — “Whiplash”
• JENNIE — “like JENNIE”
• Jimin — “Who”
• JISOO — “earthquake”
• LISA featuring Doja Cat & RAYE — “Born Again”
• Stray Kids — “Chk Chk Boom”
• ROSÉ — “toxic till the end”

Best Afrobeats

• Asake & Travis Scott — “Active”
• Burna Boy featuring Travis Scott — “TaTaTa”
• MOLIY, Silent Addy, Skillibeng & Shenseea — “Shake It to the Max (FLY) (Remix)”
• Rema — “Baby (Is It a Crime)”
• Tems featuring Asake — “Get It Right”
• Tyla — “PUSH 2 START”
• Wizkid featuring Brent Faiyaz — “Piece of My Heart”

Best Country

• Chris Stapleton — “Think I’m in Love with You”
• Cody Johnson with Carrie Underwood — “I’m Gonna Love You”
• Jelly Roll — “Liar”
• Lainey Wilson — “4x4xU”
• Megan Moroney — “Am I Okay?”
• Morgan Wallen — “Smile”

Best Album

• Bad Bunny — “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS”
• Kendrick Lamar — “GNX”
• Lady Gaga — “Mayhem”
• Morgan Wallen — “I’m the Problem”
• Sabrina Carpenter — “Short n’ Sweet”
• The Weeknd — “Hurry Up Tomorrow”

Best Long Form Video

• Ariana Grande — “brighter days ahead”
• Bad Bunny — “DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS (Short Film)”
• Damiano David — “FUNNY little STORIES”
• Mac Miller — “Balloonerism”
• Miley Cyrus — “Something Beautiful”
• The Weeknd — “Hurry Up Tomorrow”

Video for Good

• Burna Boy — “Higher”
• Charli XCX— “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
• Doechii — “Anxiety”
• Eminem featuring Jelly Roll — “Somebody Save Me”
• Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco — “Younger and Hotter Than Me”
• Zach Hood featuring Sasha Alex Sloan — “Sleepwalking”

Best Direction

• Ariana Grande — “brighter days ahead”
• Charli XCX — “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
• Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
• Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”
• Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”

Best Art Direction

• Charli XCX — “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
• Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
• Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
• Lorde — “Man of the Year”
• Miley Cyrus — “End of the World”
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”

Best Cinematography

• Ariana Grande — “brighter days ahead”
• Ed Sheeran — “Sapphire”
• Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
• Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
• Miley Cyrus — “Easy Lover”
• Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”

Best Editing

• Charli XCX — “Guess featuring Billie Eilish”
• Ed Sheeran — “Sapphire”
• Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
• Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
• Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”
• Tate McRae — “Just Keep Watching (from ‘F1 The Movie’)”

Best Choreography

• Doechii — “Anxiety”
• FKA twigs — “Eusexua”
• Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
• Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
• Tyla — “PUSH 2 START”
• Zara Larsson — “Pretty Ugly”

Best Visual Effects

• Ariana Grande — “brighter days ahead”
• Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
• ROSÉ & Bruno Mars — “APT.”
• Sabrina Carpenter — “Manchild”
• Tate McRae — “Just Keep Watching (from ‘F1 The Movie’)”
• The Weeknd — “Hurry Up Tomorrow”