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Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards a “lackluster affair,” arguing that Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga supplied its most memorable moments. The ceremony, held September 7 at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, had a restrained telecast—but its headline wins, a theatrical Carpenter performance and Mariah Carey’s Video Vanguard moment gave the evening real highlights. “Lacking” is Sheffield’s critical judgment, not a measure of how every viewer felt.
Why critics found the telecast muted
The Guardian also described the show as “relatively muted,” pointing to a format in which only seven awards were handed out during the telecast and noting that many major nominees were absent. Those details help explain the restrained feel critics described; they do not establish that viewers broadly disliked the ceremony.
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Against that backdrop, the evening’s most vivid stretches depended less on a steady flow of televised award presentations than on a few major artists and carefully staged segments. The contrast is what makes Sheffield’s “rescue” framing persuasive as a review: the show had standout moments, but they were concentrated rather than spread evenly across the broadcast.
Three pop stars dominated the competitive awards
| Artist | Major wins | Overall tally reported |
|---|---|---|
| Lady Gaga | Artist of the Year; Best Collaboration with Bruno Mars for “Die With a Smile” | Four wins from 12 nominations, according to Pitchfork |
| Ariana Grande | Video of the Year and Best Pop Video for “Brighter Days Ahead” | Three wins, according to Pitchfork |
| Sabrina Carpenter | Album of the Year for Short n’ Sweet; Best Pop Artist | Three wins, according to Pitchfork |
Grande’s Video of the Year win for “Brighter Days Ahead” was one of the ceremony’s top results, alongside Gaga’s Artist of the Year award and Carpenter’s Album of the Year win. The Guardian also reported Grande’s two marquee awards, while Pitchfork’s winners list records her third win overall.
#1 Best Overall
Gaga’s performance was a separate, pre-taped event
Gaga accepted Artist of the Year at UBS Arena, but her performance segment was filmed earlier at Madison Square Garden while she was on tour. It was not a live performance from the VMAs venue. In the segment, she performed “Abracadabra” and “The Dead Dance,” a single from Netflix’s Wednesday. The distinction matters: the ceremony brought the performance to its broadcast, but Gaga was not on the UBS Arena stage for it.
During her acceptance remarks, Gaga described the purpose of her work this way: “Being an artist is an attempt to connect the souls of people all over the world,” the Associated Press reported. The line framed the award as more than a tally of wins, while the separately recorded performance supplied one of the night’s largest-scale musical moments.
Carpenter turned “Tears” into a theatrical set piece
Carpenter performed “Tears” with drag performers as part of the staging. Vogue reported that signs included “In Trans We Trust,” making the performance’s visual choices part of its message as well as its spectacle. Alongside her Album of the Year and Best Pop Artist wins, the set gave Carpenter a prominent presence beyond the awards list.
Carey’s Vanguard moment joined legacy and humor
Grande presented Mariah Carey with the Video Vanguard Award, a career-honoring recognition distinct from the competitive categories. Introducing Carey, Grande called her “the soundtrack of our lives” and said, “As a vocalist, there’s only one queen. And that’s Mariah,” according to the Associated Press.
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Carey followed the presentation with a career-spanning medley that included “Fantasy,” “We Belong Together” and “Obsessed.” She joked about receiving her first VMA: “I can’t believe I’m getting my first VMA tonight,” then asked, “What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for?” before adding, “I’m just kidding. Thank you. I love you.” The joke acknowledged the gap between her long career and this first VMA while keeping the moment warm rather than solemn.
What the “rescue” claim gets right—and what it leaves out
Sheffield’s review makes a case about pacing and concentration: a relatively muted telecast found its energy in a handful of marquee artists, with Gaga’s awards and remote performance, Carpenter’s staging, and Carey’s Vanguard appearance providing distinct peaks. That is a critical interpretation grounded in specific events, not a neutral verdict on the entire show.
Nor were those the ceremony’s only notable elements. The broadcast also included a tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and honors for Ricky Martin and Busta Rhymes. The evening’s balance therefore depends on what a viewer values: the limited number of televised awards may have made the show feel sparse, while its major performances and honors offered memorable moments within that narrower structure.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Audience figures are reported, not fully explained
TV Tech reported that more than 5.5 million viewers watched the 2025 VMAs across CBS, MTV and Paramount+, and described that figure as a 42% increase from 2024. The report does not explain its measurement methodology, so those numbers should be treated as TV Tech’s reported figures rather than independently verified audience measurements. The platforms named in that report identify where the event was broadcast; they do not establish where the full ceremony is currently available to replay.
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