Snubs & Surprises at the 2025 VMAs

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You can't person an awards amusement without snubs and surprises – it's successful the bylaws somewhere.

9/8/2025

Kendrick Lamar performs onstage during Apple Music Super Bowl LIX Halftime Show astatine Caesars Superdome connected February 09, 2025 successful New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

It was beauteous evident that Lady Gaga was successful for a large nighttime astatine the 2025 VMAs, which were held astatine UBS Arena successful Elmont, N.Y., connected Sunday (Sept. 7).

After all, Mother Monster is coming disconnected 1 of the biggest years of her career. And she was nominated for 12 awards, much than immoderate different creator this year. Sure enough, Gaga dominated the night, with 4 awards, much than immoderate different artist.

It was besides nary astonishment that LL Cool J was a creaseless and effectual host. The hip-hop fable is an aged pro astatine this benignant of thing, having cohosted the VMAs successful 2021 and having hosted the Grammys 5 times.

Several of the awards had been announced successful the run-up to the show, namely the Video Vanguard Award to Mariah Carey, the Latin Icon Award to Ricky Martin, and the Rock the Bells Visionary Award to Busta Rhymes.

But that doesn’t mean the amusement was devoid of surprises. Fans got a sensation of that connected Sunday morning, erstwhile the database of caller creator of the twelvemonth finalists was chopped from six to three. Alex Warren and sombr made the cut, arsenic expected, but the 3rd slot went to The Marías implicit Gigi Perez, Lola Young and Ella Langley. That wasn’t a shocker, but galore figured that Young would beryllium the 3rd sanction connected the shortlist.

You can’t person an awards amusement without snubs and surprises – it’s successful the bylaws determination – and this nighttime was nary exception. Take a look:

Snub: Kendrick Lamar

Lamar’s “Not Like Us” seemed to person the wrong way to triumph video of the year. His Drake diss way and its accompanying video had swept the Grammys successful February. But it won conscionable Moon Person – champion cinematographer. It didn’t adjacent triumph champion hip-hop, which went to Doechii’s “Anxiety.” The origin known arsenic “recency bias” astir apt came into play here. The “Not Like Us” video was released connected July 4, 2024, making it look similar aged quality astatine this point. (The aforesaid improvement astir apt came into play erstwhile Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” mislaid video of the twelvemonth astatine the archetypal VMAs successful 1984.)
Snub: Bad Bunny

How galore times would you accidental Bunny has won champion Latin, which has been presented each twelvemonth since 2018 (and from 2010 to 2013, earlier that)? Would you believe, none. The planetary superstar has been nominated 9 times successful this category, but has ne'er won. (He won the wide creator of the twelvemonth grant successful 2022, he’s conscionable had a hard clip winning successful the class that helium should practically own.)
Surprise: Tate McRae

McRae won Song of the Summer for “Just Keep Watching” (from F1 The Movie). The song, which peaked astatine No. 33 connected the Billboard Hot 100 successful June, bushed 4 songs that reached No. 1 – Alex Warren’s “Ordinary,” HUNTR/X’s “Golden,” Morgan Wallen featuring McRae’s “What I Want” and Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild.”

There is simply a precedent for a opus that wasn’t a apical 30 deed being voted Song of the Summer. BLACKPINK’s “How You Like T...

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