Host LL Cool J hosted the awards, which honored Ozzy Osbourne, Ricky Martin and Busta Rhymes, among others.

LivAriana Grande accepted the award for Video of the Year, closing out the 2025 MTV Video Music awards Sunday night.

LL Cool J hosted the awards, which paid tribute to music icons throughout the night, including Ricky Martin, who received the first-ever Latin Icon Award following an electric performance on the main stage, and Busta Rhymes, who was honored with the MTV VMA Rock the Bells Visionary Award. Mariah Carey was presented with the Video Vanguard Award by Grande earlier in the night.

Fans were also treated to an array of great performances, including from Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and J Balvin. Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, YUNGBLUD and Nuno Bettencourt delivered a head-banging tribute in honor of the recently deceased “Prince of Darkness,” Ozzy Osbourne.

Follow along with the blog below for Yahoo’s live coverage of the star-studded awards show and the red carpet.

VMAs announces more winners on X after live show ends

The MTV Moon Person award at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for MTV)

The VMAs wrapped up around 11 p.m. ET, and then took to social media to announce the winners of the remaining categories that were not addressed during the show or the preshow.

Best Pop Artist: Sabrina Carpenter

Best Hip-Hop: Doechii, "Anxiety"

Best Rock: Coldplay, "All My Love"

Best Latin: Shakira, "Soltera"

Best Long-form Video: Ariana Grande, "brighter days ahead"

Video for Good: Charli xcx, "Guess" feat. Billie Eilish

Best Group BLACKPINK

Best Direction: Lady Gaga, "Abracadabra"

Best Cinematography: Kendrick Lamar, "Not Like Us"

Best Visual Effects: Sabrina Carpenter, "Manchild"

Best Choreography: Doechii, "Anxiety"

Best Art Direction: Lady Gaga, "Abracadabra"

Best Editing: Tate McRae, "Just Keep Watching"

Ariana Grande wins Video of the Year

Ariana Grande accepted one of the most coveted awards at the VMAs, the Video of the Year, which she won for "Brighter Days Ahead."

"Art has been a safe space for me since I was a kid," Grande said during her second acceptance speech of the night. "I'm so grateful that I get to do this with my life and to have such fiercely loving and supportive fans."

Grande, who has not been to the VMAs since 2018, presented the Video Vanguard Award to Mariah Carey earlier tonight and thanked everyone who helped her produce the Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days album when it won for Best Pop.

Conan Gray performs 'Vodka Cranberry'

Conan Gray put a Shakespearean spin on his song "Vodka Cranberry" by featuring Corey Fogelmanis as his Romeo, dying on a bed of flowers. Fogelmanis had appeared in Gray's music video for the song.

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars win Best Collaboration

Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars won Best Collaboration for their single "Die With a Smile," which they first released as a single in August 2024. The song also won a Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance in February.

Gaga has won this VMAs category twice before: In 2010 for "Telephone" with Beyoncé and in 2020 for "Rain on Me" with Ariana Grande. This is Mars's fourth time being nominated for Best Collaboration, and the first time he's won.

Ariana Grande wins Best Pop for 'Brighter Days Ahead': 'Thank you to my therapists and gay people'

Ariana Grande won Best Pop for her music video, "Brighter Days Ahead."

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Grande began her acceptance speech by thanking her fans, affectionately known as Arianators.

"I have to say, thank you, first and foremost, to my fans. I love you with every fiber of my being," she said, before shouting out several of her collaborators on the album, like director Christian Breslauer. "Thank you so much for bringing these songs and this vision to life and articulating them visually in a way that was fanciful and yet specific, and vulnerable and yet protective, all at once. Oh my goodness, you guys. You are the best. The best in the world. I just want to say these videos that mean so much and define us as artists forever. Take a village."

Added Grande, "Thank you to my therapists and gay people. I love you."

Sombr performs after intro by Meg Stalter

After an introduction by Hacks and Too Much star Meg Stalter, 20-year-old alternative artist Sombr (real name: Shane Michael Boose) took the stage to perform his hit "Back to Friends." Earlier in the night the singer took home the Best Alternative award for the track.

Sabrina Carpenter wins Best Album for 'Short n' Sweet': 'I'm just the luckiest girl in the world'

Congratulations are in order! Sabrina Carpenter took home the Best Album award for Short n' Sweet.

"This is my second moon man, which is so crazy," Carpenter told the audience. "I really don't take for granted when you guys take the time out of your lives to listen to an album, and if I'm lucky enough that that is my album, I am so grateful — whether that be Short n' Sweet, this album, or whether that be Man's Best Friend, my new album, or one of my 29 before that. I'm just the luckiest girl in the world."

The "Tears" songstress went on to thank her backup dancers and the drag queens who helped bring her VMAs performance to life.

"I do want to say to my incredible cast and dancers and my queens on stage with me tonight: This world, as we all know, can be so full of criticism and discrimination and negativity. So to get to be part of something so often, more than not, that is something that can bring you light, make you smile, make you dance ... I am so grateful to do that," she said.

J Balvin's performance is an ode to the '90s

Colombian singer J Balvin, who introduced Ricky Martin for his Latin Icon Award earlier tonight, returned to the stage to sing his hit song, "Zun Zun," which he has called his love letter to '90s reggaeton. He was then joined by DJ Snake to perform "Como en los 90s," another ode that decade.

VMAs honor late Ozzy Osbourne in tribute medley

Ozzy Osbourne's son, Jack, and four of his grandchildren opened the VMAs tribute to the "Prince of Darkness" with a welcome video.

"I wish we could be there with you all tonight as you celebrate my dad's amazing musical journey. I know for sure it would make him incredibly happy to see these great musicians carry on his legacy and help inspire the next generation of rockers," Jack said. "We love you, Dad."

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Yungblud and Nuno Bettencourt performed a medley of Osbourne's greatest hits from both his solo career and his time with Black Sabbath, including "Crazy Train," "Mama, I'm Coming Home" and "Changes."

Osbourne died at the age of 76 on July 22.

Alex Warren performs on VMAs stage hours after winning Best New Artist

Alex Warren sang his popular songs "Eternity" and "Ordinary" during his first-ever VMAs performance with dozens of backup singers and musicians accompanying him on stage.

Warren won the Best New Artist award earlier in the night. His song "Ordinary," which peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, was nominated for Best Pop and Song of the Year.

Lady Gaga does 'The Dead Dance' from Madison Square Garden

“Put your paws up MTV!”

In a live stream from Lady Gaga’s Madison Square Garden show, Mother Monster opened her performance with a spooky rendition of her song “Abracadabra.” Gaga, wearing all red and a black wig, danced alongside background dancers, some of whom were inside of a metal cage.

She then went into her song “The Dead Dance,” in which she wore an all-white outfit and her dancers imitated ghosts in white, Puritan garb.

“The Dead Dance,” which dropped on Sept. 3, is on the soundtrack for Season 2 of Wednesday. The A Star Is Born actress has a cameo on the new season of the Netflix series as Rosaline Rotwood.

Mariah Carey performs nostalgic medley and accepts Video Vanguard Award

Ahead of receiving this year's Video Vanguard Award, Mariah Carey serenaded audiences with a medley of some of her greatest hits.

Dressed in a luxurious, champagne-colored robe, Carey kicked things off with "Sugar Sweet," before going into "Fantasy," "Heartbreaker," Obsessed," and "It's Like That." She finished the medley with her beloved chart-topper, "We Belong Together."

Ariana Grande returned to the stage to hand Carey her Moon Person. The "Touch My Body" singer-songwriter then delivered a moving speech in which she reflected on her career — and joked about how long it's taken MTV to recognize her achievements.

"Thank you so much, MTV, for giving me the Vanguard Award. I can't believe I'm getting my first VMA tonight. I just have one question: What in the Sam Hell were you waiting for?!"

Carey continued, "Music videos are my way of life, of bringing music to my own life. Mini movies visualizing the sheer fantasy of it all."

She then referenced a slew of iconic music video moments throughout her career, like "going in drag for 'Obsessed,' playing my alter ego, Bianca, in 'Heartbreaker,' escaping the mob in 'Honey' with a hot guy on a remote island."

Carey added, "Music evolves, videos evolve, but the fun? That is eternal."

Ariana Grande introduces Mariah Carey

Ariana Grande took the stage to introduce this year's Video Vanguard Award recipient, Mariah Carey.

"She knows no limits with her iconic five-octave range, and has left an irrevocable impact on music history with her tone, technique and sound," Grande told the crowd, before referring to Carey's repertoire of music videos that includes everything from "alter egos to male drag to hundreds of iconic looks."

The Wicked star went on to thank Carey for "providing us with a soundtrack of our lives."

Post Malone and Jelly Roll perform from Germany

Post Malone and Jelly Roll couldn’t make it to Long Island for the VMAs, but the award show aired a livestream of the pair performing their track “Losers” from Post’s show in Hanover, Germany.

Post Malone is nominated in the Best Collaboration category for his song "Pour Me a Drink." Jelly Roll, meanwhile, is nominated for Best Country Video for “Liar," as well as the Best Hip-Hop Video and Video for Good for his song “Somebody Save Me” with Eminem. He's also nominated for Best Alternative Video for his Machine Gun Kelly track "Lonely Road."

Sabrina Carpenter recreates 'Tears' music video

It's Sabrina Carpenter's world, we're just livin' in it. Carpenter brought the streets of New York to the UBS Arena stage for a performance of her Man's Best Friend single, "Tears."

Carpenter, dressed in a sparkly fringed number, danced around the stage, which was complete with a backdrop featuring the Empire State Building. Like her "Tears" music video, Carpenter was joined on stage by several drag queens who held a variety of signs with phrases like "Dolls Dolls Dolls" and "Support Drag."

For the song's dance break, Carpenter shed her one-piece to reveal a fringed bra and sparkly mini shorts. The pop star broke it down on stage with her crew of drag queens as rain poured down on them.

Katseye wins MTV Push Performance of the Year

Global girl group KATSEYE won the MTV Push Performance of the Year for their single "Touch," from their debut album, "SIS (Soft Is Strong)."

This is the first time that the group, which performed two songs during the preshow, has been nominated for a VMA award.

Busta Rhymes performs, accepts Rock the Bells Visionary Award

Busta Rhymes made history as the first-ever recipient of the Rock the Bells Visionary Award. To commemorate the occasion, the legendary rapper performed a medley of his hits, including "Gimme Some More," "As I Come Back," "Touch It," and "Pass the Courvoisier Part II."

LL Cool J, who also introduced Rhymes's performance, honored the rapper with the award.

Rhymes, a New York City native, told the crowd that LL was the reason he wrote his first rhyme, before going on to thank his mother, father, God and his children.

The "Break Ya Neck" rapper thanked late MTV VJ host and two-time NAACP Image Award recipient Ananda Lewis, who died in June. Rhymes referred to Lewis as "the incredible woman that loved me" and that "loved the culture," before adding that she "lifted us up."

Concluding his speech, Rhymes told the crowd, "The blessings don't stop, so we don't stop, baby!"

Tate McRae sings 'Sports Car,' 'Revolving Door' in her 1st VMAs performance

Tate McRae performing her Medusa-inspired show. (Manny Carabel/Getty Images for MTV)

Tate McRae had the crowd screaming while she performed a mix of her hits, including "Revolving Door" and "Sports Car," Yahoo Reporter Kelsey Weekman, who is at the VMAs, told us. Both songs are from her album So Close to What, which dropped in February.

McRae did some elaborate choreography during her first-ever VMAs performance, after winning the award for Song of Summer earlier in the night for "Just Keep Watching." She told host Nessa Diab during the VMAs preshow that tonight's performance was inspired by Medusa.

Bruno Mars and Rosé win Song of the Year

Bruno Mars and Rosé took home Song of the Year at the VMAs for their duet “APT.," with Paris Hilton presenting the award. Rosé accepted the award on behalf of the duo, as Mars was not present for the ceremony.

Rosé dedicated the award to her "16-year-old self" and "anyone else who has dreamed of being accepted equally for their hard work."

Ricky Martin accepts Latin Icon Award

Ricky Martin took the stage to accept the Latin Icon Award, presented by Jessica Simpson.

"This is for you all. Thank you so much for your applause. I am addicted to your applause, that's why I keep coming back," Martin told the audience. "It's been 40 years. I started when I was a baby, working, and we're still here."

Martin went on to dedicate the award to his two kids, Valentino and Matteo Martin, whom he shares with ex-husband Jwan Yosef.

"I want to dedicate this award to my kids. Everything I do, I do it with you in my mind and in my heart," he said.(Yahoo Entertainment)

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