MTV VMAs 2023: Everything to Know About the Star-Studded Ceremony

The 2023 MTV VMAs air live from New Jersey's Prudential Center at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Sept. 12

Taylor Swift accepts an award onstage at the 2022 MTV VMAs at Prudential Center on August 28, 2022 in Newark, New Jersey.
Taylor Swift. Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty

It's time for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards!

The annual ceremony will go down Tuesday night at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey with Nicki Minaj as the show's emcee.

This year's biggest music videos will be honored with Moon Person trophies, while a star-studded list of stars will take the stage for performances and more.

Keep reading for everything to know about the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards.

Taylor Swift Leads 2023 MTV Video Music Awards Nominations — See the Full List
Taylor Swift, SZA, Miley Cyrus.

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Emma McIntyre/Getty

Who is nominated at the 2023 MTV VMAs?

Taylor Swift lead this year's nominations with 11, closely followed by SZA with eight, while Minaj, Doja Cat, Miley CyrusOlivia Rodrigo and BLACKPINK each tied with six.

The most heated competition comes in the video of the year category, which is a battle between Doja ("Attention"), Cyrus ("Flowers"), Minaj ("Super Freaky Girl"), Rodrigo ("Vampire"), Sam Smith and Kim Petras ("Unholy"), SZA ("Kill Bill") and Swift ("Anti-Hero").

Meanwhile, artist of the year will go to either Doja, Swift, Minaj, Shakira, Karol G or Beyoncé.

See the full list of nominees for 2023 here.

Lil Wayne, Doja Cat, Kelsea Ballerini, and Anitta join vma list of performers
Lil Wayne, Doja Cat, Kelsea Ballerini.

Frazer Harrison/Getty; ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty; Gilbert Carrasquillo/GC Images

Who is performing at the 2023 MTV VMAs?

During the main show, performers will include Minaj, Rodrigo, Shakira, Doja, Sean "Diddy" Combs,  Karol GDemi LovatoKelsea BalleriniLil WayneMåneskinStray Kids, Tomorrow x Together with Anitta, Fall Out Boy, Peso Pluma and Metro Boomin with Future, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Swae Lee and NAV.

Additionally, Kaliii, Reneé Rapp and The Warning will perform on the VMAs' extended play stage throughout the ceremony. It was recently announced that Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion will debut their new single "Bongos" live, as well.

There will also be a special finale paying tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip hop featuring Darryl " DMC" McDaniels, Doug E. Fresh, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and LL Cool J.

The pre-show broadcast will feature performances from NLE Choppa and Sabrina Carpenter.

Nicki Minaj attends the World Premiere of "Barbie"
Nicki Minaj.

Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage

Who is emceeing the 2023 MTV VMAs?

Minaj will return as this year's emcee, following her stint last year alongside Jack Harlow and LL Cool J.

This year, the 25-time VMA-nominated artist has six Moon Person nods to her name. She is up for best hip-hop, best visual effects and video of the year for “Super Freaky Girl,” best R&B for her collaboration with Yung Bleu, “Love in the Way,” song of summer for “Barbie World” with Ice Spice and even the top prize — artist of the year.

Shakira Facing Second Tax Fraud Case in Spain
Shakira.

Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images

Who is being honored at the 2023 MTV VMAs?

Shakira will be honored with this year's coveted video vanguard award. Additionally, she's nominated in four categories at the ceremony: artist of the year, best collaboration for "TQG" with Karol G as well as best latin for both "TQG" and "Acróstico."

"Shakira is a true global force who continues to inspire & influence the masses with her unique, musical prowess. She's a trailblazer for women around the world & one of the first artists to lead the globalization of Latin music," said Bruce Gilmer, Paramount's president of music, music talent, programming and events and Paramount+'s chief content officer for music, in a press statement.

"Her massive impact across the musical landscape will be long lasting as she continues to create and entertain at the highest level," continued Gilmer.

Diddy will be honored with the global icon award for the influence he’s reached as an artist on a global scale. 

This year, the rapper's track “Creepin' (Remix)” with Metro Boomin, The Weeknd and 21 Savage is nominated for both best collaboration and best R&B. “Gotta Move On,” his track with Bryson TillerAshanti and Yung Miami, is also nominated in the best collaboration category, as well as the best hip-hop.

Sean Combs
Sean "Diddy" Combs.

Matt Baron/Shutterstock

Who is presenting at the 2023 MTV VMAs?

Celebrities set to present at this year's show include Ashanti, Billy Porter, Chloe Bailey, Fat Joe, Halle Bailey, Nelly Furtado, Bebe Rexha, Charli D'Amelio, Coco Jones, Dixie D’Amelio, Emily Ratajkowski, French Montana, Anuel AA, Saweetie, Shenseea, Thalia, Tiffany Haddish, Timbaland, Wyclef Jean, A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Jared Leto, Dove Cameron, Madelyn Cline, Rita Ora, Rapp and Carpenter.

How to watch the 2023 MTV VMAs:

The 2023 MTV VMAs will air live from New Jersey's Prudential Center at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Sept. 12 via MTV, BET, BET Her, VH1, Comedy Central, CMT, Logo, MTV2, Nickelodeon and Paramount Network. The ceremony can also be viewed via Paramount+ or an MTV.com live stream.

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