Madonna Returns to VMAs with Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, and Surreal Stage Show
Madonna opened the 2026 MTV VMAs with her first performance at the ceremony in 23 years. The set began with surreal staging and dancers, then moved into “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter at the piano before Charli XCX joined for “Danceteria Afterhours.” Julia Garner and Seth Rogen also appeared during the number, which followed the recent release of Madonna and Charli’s collaboration.
Madonna's Sunday VMAs opening was her first performance there in 23 years. The set began with contorting dancers in acroyoga poses and lasers, then revealed her atop a piano as Sabrina Carpenter, in a black beret, played with her back turned. They performed "Bring Your Love."
The show shifted into "Danceteria Afterhours," with Charli xcx emerging from a bathroom stall for their first official collaboration. Produced by Stuart Price, it reworks Madonna's "Danceteria" and adds a Charli verse. Julia Garner and Seth Rogen made cameos; Madonna last performed at the VMAs in 2003 and first did so in 1984.
Madonna's return could draw renewed attention to the VMAs and to cross-generational pop collaborations. Fans of Madonna, Charli xcx, and Sabrina Carpenter may see the performance as a bridge between eras, while the cameos and social clips could extend the moment beyond the broadcast. It may also reinforce how legacy artists and newer stars use viral stage moments to shape music conversation, though its lasting cultural effect remains uncertain.