After spending weeks predicting who will be on the red carpet (er, pink carpet), fans arrived at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards on September 12 and, as ever, were filled with memes and tweets to record this chaotic night. Taylor Swift is the show's most-nominated artist, and Swifties are hoping she'll deliver a surprise performance or at least accept a "Moon Man" or two. (There was a lot of hype after announcing her Midnight album at last year's show!) And, well, they were only half right: Swift didn't perform, but she did spend a lot of time on stage for her "Midnight" collection award.
Likewise, the Beyhive speculates that Beyoncé may be stopping in the middle of her Renaissance Tour, which would be exciting for fans at home who can't get tickets — though sadly, Queen Bey No trace.
Alas, you can never really predict what's going to happen at the VMAs. But as is tradition, audiences react to every musical moment on Twitter.
Taylor Swift can't stop dancing
Swift is (almost) tired of waiting for Swift to show up at this year's VMAs and wondering if she'll show up at all. Despite racking up a whopping 11 nominations — including Artist of the Year, Video of the Year for "Anti-Hero" and Summer Performance for Eras Tour, Swift barely showed up. Fans also expressed their impatience, with some even looking for clues in the background of Selena Gomez's selfie on the way.
After hours of speculation, Swift arrived at the VMAs in the final moments of MTV's pink carpet coverage, during which she impromptu performed several performances, including a medley of Demi Lovato songs, Such as "Heart Attack" and "Cool for the" summer. "
Of course, it wasn't just Lovato's music that had Swift dancing the night away. The Bejeweled hitmaker also turned to Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Shakira and more throughout the show — which is tradition.
Selena Gomez looks worried
Selena Gomez also had a noteworthy reaction to the night's music. During a mixed performance before Olivia Rodrigo's show, Gomez seemed concerned about "Vampire's" chaotic and pyrotechnic performance, which resulted in a new go-to reaction image.
Gomez also seemed to make her feelings clear when she heard that Chris Brown was nominated for Best R&B.
Diddy's performance makes fans miss him
Between the NSYNC reunion and Shakira's decades-spanning medley, it was a big night of nostalgia. Sean “Diddy” Combs delivered a slew of his signature songs before accepting the VMA Global Icon Award, including his performance of “Last Night” with Keyshia Cole , continuing the fun of retro.
Fall Out Boy Rocks oversized blazer
Speaking of nostalgia, Fall Out Boy took to the VMA stage for the first time in 16 years, fittingly performing their modern rendition of Billy Joel's "We Don't Start the Fire," which covered events from the past three decades, including Taylor ·Taylor Swift and Kanye West’s infamous VMA encounter.
Of course, fans have some thoughts on the band's fashion.
While the band's song may have referenced the VMA mishap, Swift ended the year on a more triumphant note - winning her fourth Video of the Year award (this time for "Anti-Hero") and Marking the end of another chaotic awards show. Until next year!
