Madonna's at the MTV VMAs tonight. Here's what to know about this year's show.

Madonna leads the 2026 MTV VMAs with thirteen nominations, the highest count of any nominee. The pop superstar has achieved nominations in every decade of her musical career. Simultaneously, Taylor Swift is making history at the event as the inaugural recipient of the Artist Director Honor. This special appearance by Swift occurs just before the official drop of her new music video, titled Patient Zero, during MTV's biggest night of the year.