Entertainment

The MTV Video Music Awards’ most memorable moments

Kanye West, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus have all made headlines at the MTV awards show.
Kanye West, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus have all made headlines at the MTV awards show. Kanye West, Britney Spears and Miley Cyrus have all made headlines at the MTV awards show.

The MTV Video Music Awards are better known for playing host to a string of controversial moments rather than who picks up the prizes.

From Kanye West to Madonna, plenty of artists have made headlines for the wrong reasons.

Here are some of the most memorable moments from the VMAs.

1999 Diana Ross touches Lil Kim’s breast

Rapper Lil Kim wore an eye-catching one-shouldered jumpsuit in 1999, with just a sea-shell shaped sticker covering her breast.

While presenting the best hip hop video award, soul singer Diana Ross gave the exposed breast a jiggle, to the hilarity of Lil Kim.

2003 Britney Spears and Madonna kiss

Pop princesses Britney and Christina Aguilera joined Madonna on stage at the VMAs and performed her hit Like A Virgin.

During the performance, watched by a star-studded audience including Britney’s ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake and Madonna’s then-husband Guy Ritchie, the Queen of Pop kissed both women on the lips.

However, it is her kiss with Britney that remains talked about today.

2009 Kanye West confronts Taylor Swift on stage

Kanye West
Kanye West Kanye West was accompanied to the 2009 Video Music Awards by his then-girlfriend Amber Rose (PA)

In perhaps the most infamous awards show moment of the century, West stormed onto the stage while a 19-year-old Swift was accepting the prize for best female video.

West, with his eyes hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, told a stunned Swift “Imma let you finish” but “Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time”.

The moment has lived on in infamy and started a long-running feud between West and Swift.

2010 Lady Gaga’s meat dress

The pop star led the way in nominations with 13, but her appearance at the 2010 VMAs is remembered for one thing.

Gaga appeared on the red carpet in a dress made of raw beef, a stunt later named the top fashion statement of the year by Time magazine.

She later said the dress was a statement against perceived anti-LGBT policies within the US military.

2011 Beyonce reveals she is pregnant on stage

Beyonce Knowles
Beyonce Knowles Beyonce memorably announced she was pregnant on stage at the VMAs (PA)

After performing at he 2011 VMAs, Beyonce pulled back her sparkly black jacket and began rubbing her belly – announcing she was expecting.

The camera cut to husband Jay-Z, who was being congratulated in the crowd by Kanye West.

Beyonce and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, was born in January the following year.

2013 Miley and Robin Twerk it Out

Former Disney Channel star Cyrus was in the process of reinventing herself when she appeared on stage with Robin Thicke.

They performed Cyrus’ We Can’t Stop as well as Thicke’s massive hit Blurred Lines.

The set is best remembered for Cyrus’s twerking, as she rubbed herself against Thicke – who was 16 years her senior.

2015 Nicki Minaj confronts Miley Cyrus

Cyrus was involved in another memorable VMAs moment when rapper Minaj called her out on stage.

Minaj was unhappy about comments Cyrus had made about her in an interview days previously, and took revenge while accepting the best hip hop video award for Anaconda.

She said: “And now, back to this bitch that had a lot to say about me the other day in the press the other day. Miley, what’s good?”