Last night was the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.
Between Taylor Swift announcing a new album and Yung Gravy and Addison Rae’s mom, Sheri Easterling, making their red carpet debut, there is a lot to unpack from the celebrity-filled ceremony.
But first, the winners of some of the most acclaimed categories deserve some recognition, aside from the drama and several groundbreaking announcements, too.
Taylor Swift took home the award for “Video of the Year,” for her cinematic storytelling of “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version);” Bad Bunny won “Artist of the Year;” Billie Eilish took the crown for “Song of the Year” for “Happier Than Ever;” Dove Cameron was named “Best New Artist;” Harry Styles won “Best Pop” for his hit “As It Was,” along with “Album of the Year” for “Harry’s House;” “The Weeknd won “Best R&B” for “Out Of Time” and Lil Nas X and Jack Harlow were acknowledged for “Best Collaboration” on “INDUSTRY BABY,” just to name a few.
This year’s VMA’s accumulated 3.9 million viewers amongst all television networks, which was a 3% increase from last year’s 3.7 million, and it was no question why due to the star-studded lineup of performances.
Jack Harlow, who won “Song of the Summer” for his beloved single “First Class,” opened the show with his popular hit alongside Fergie. The two mashed “First Class” with the 2007 Hot 100 topper song it samples from, “Glamorous.”
The two brought high energy and set the tone for the remainder of the night by showcasing a unique stage setup of the inside of a jet in reference to the song of the summer.
Italian rockers and Eurovision champs Måneskin proved rock was still alive and did so in a bold way. Lead bassist Victoria De Angelis’ rocked the stage topless, with the assistance of some silver pasties to keep it television appropriate, despite not truly being at television standard considering the cameras cut away from the rock group at times.
Many, including Billboard, commended Nick Minaj and claimed she put on the best performance of the night for her medley of her own music. From “Beez in the Trap” to “Super Bass,” Minaj reminded the nation why she is known as Queen Barb.
Panic! At the Disco closed out the VMA’s performance portion of the night following Bad Bunny’s upbeat, crowd-controlling east-coast stadium performance which was difficult to top. Yet, the pop band brought the heat with the hand they were dealt.
But somehow amongst all of the admirable performances and momentous wins, social media couldn’t stop buzzing about two things: Taylor Swift (rightfully so) and Hollywood’s newest couple, Yung Gravy and Addison Rae’s mom, making out on live television following Gravy calling his older woman a “MILF.”
Here’s how people reacted on Twitter:
