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Madonna Makes STAR-STUDDED Return to MTV VMAs With 'Confessions II' Opening Number
Madonna made a major return to the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night, opening the 2026 ceremony with a star-studded performance celebrating her latest era.
The Queen of Pop took the stage at Los Angeles' Peacock Theater for her first live VMAs performance in 23 years, bringing along a lineup of surprise guests that included Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, SOMBR, Seth Rogen, Julia Garner and more.
The performance served as a theatrical introduction to Madonna's Confessions II era, which has already become one of the biggest chapters of her 2026 comeback.
Sabrina Carpenter Joins Madonna
The opening number began with Madonna performing material from Confessions II before Sabrina Carpenter appeared at the piano for “Bring Your Love,” their house-pop collaboration from the album.
Carpenter's appearance quickly turned the performance into a full-scale spectacle, with elaborate choreography, dancers and dramatic lighting surrounding the two stars.
For Carpenter, sharing the stage with Madonna added another major moment to a year already packed with high-profile appearances.
Charli XCX Takes Over the Stage
The performance then shifted into Madonna's collaboration with Charli XCX.
Charli emerged from a bathroom-stall set to perform “Danceteria Afterhours,” a remix of Madonna's Confessions II track “Danceteria” that had been released just days before the ceremony.
The staging recreated elements from Confessions II: The Film, with the bathroom setting and a parade of unexpected celebrity appearances giving the performance an intentionally chaotic, cinematic feel.
A Parade of Surprise Guests
Madonna wasn't finished with the surprises.
The performance also featured appearances from SOMBR, Seth Rogen, Julia Garner, Debi Mazar, Andrew Watt, Fab 5 Freddy and Tony Ward, among others.
Garner's appearance was particularly notable given her previous connection to Madonna's long-discussed biopic, while Ward reunited with Madonna decades after appearing in her controversial “Justify My Love” music video.
The result was less like a traditional awards-show performance and more like a live extension of the visual world Madonna has created around Confessions II.
23 Years After Her Last VMA Performance
Madonna's return marked the latest chapter in a decades-long relationship with the VMAs.
She first performed at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards in 1984 and has delivered some of the ceremony's most remembered performances over the years. Her 2026 appearance also set a new record for the most VMA opening performances, following previous opening spots in 1984, 1990 and 2003.
This time, she returned as the night's most-nominated artist, arriving with 13 nominations tied to Confessions II and its visual projects.
Madonna's Big Night
The performance was only the beginning of Madonna's night.
She ultimately took home seven VMAs, including Artist of the Year, while “Bring Your Love” with Sabrina Carpenter won Best Collaboration. Confessions II: The Film also earned multiple awards.
After more than two decades away from the VMA stage, Madonna returned with exactly the kind of spectacle the ceremony has long been associated with — and surrounded herself with some of today's biggest names to introduce her latest era.
Source: ET
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