Madonna Wins 7 VMAs as Taylor Swift Extends Video of the Year Record to 6
Updated
Updated · Billboard · Sep 28
Madonna Wins 7 VMAs as Taylor Swift Extends Video of the Year Record to 6
3 articles · Updated · Billboard · Sep 28
Summary
Seven trophies for Madonna and three for Taylor Swift made them the night’s dominant winners at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles, with Swift also collecting the first-ever Artist Director Honors.
Swift’s video of the year win for “The Fate of Ophelia” was her sixth in the category — the most in VMA history — after she stayed onstage to watch the world premiere of her new “Patient Zero” video.
A commercial-break meeting between Swift and Madonna drew a burst of attention inside the Peacock Theater, where the two front-row stars hugged and chatted before Swift returned for the live broadcast.
Inside the venue, producers coached recruited fans to clap overhead for the cameras, while some performances viewers saw as seamless TV moments — including Bruno Mars and Kacey Musgraves — were pre-taped or partly obscured in-house.