Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for MTV
The year 2013 marked one of the MTV’s Video Music Awards most compelling (and baffling) broadcasts in the iconic awards show’s history. Over the course of three hours, Lady Gaga performed in a thong, Miley Cyrus twerked on Robin Thicke in latex booty shorts, One Direction got booed, Justin Timberlake reunited with NSYNC, Taylor Swift threw shade at her ex Harry Styles during an acceptance speech, and Macklemore won Best Hip-Hop Video. (Somehow a Kanye West performance was the least memorable moment of the night.)
Ten years later, the VMAs failed to live up to the chaos of its most viral ceremony. (This was most evidenced by a brief backstage clip of Justin Timberlake and Megan Thee Stallion, and audience shots of a seemingly lit Taylor Swift being the most talked-about moments of the night on Twitter.)
But compared to recent years, Tuesday night’s VMAs, held once again in Newark, New Jersey, attracted a wide variety of stars and hosted several noteworthy performances.