Kacey Musgraves is heading back to the VMAs — and she’s bringing a little Dolly magic with her.
The country superstar will return to the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards for the first time in five years, where she’ll pay tribute to none other than Dolly Parton during a special performance this Sunday (September 27).
For Musgraves, the moment comes during an especially exciting VMAs night. The singer is also nominated for Best Country for “Dry Spell,” marking her third career VMA nomination. Now, she’ll have the chance to take the stage and celebrate one of country music’s most iconic figures at the same ceremony.
Earlier this week, RAYE, SOMBR and Teddy Swims were announced for a special tribute to the late George Michael, with RAYE performing both solo and as part of the tribute, while Adam Blackstone will serve as music director. Michael, a four-time VMA winner, received the Video Vanguard Award in 1989, making the tribute another nod to the show’s history.
The performance lineup is already packed, with Madonna set to open the ceremony for her first VMAs performance in 23 years. GENER8ION and Yung Lean, LISA, RAYE, Shaboozey, Gunna and Sienna Spiro are also set to take the stage, with additional performers and special guests still to be announced.
There’s plenty happening beyond the performances, too. Taylor Swift is set to receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, a new award recognizing artists whose work behind the camera has expanded the possibilities of music video and visual storytelling.
Meanwhile, MTV has revealed four fan-voted social categories — Best Group, Best Long Form Video, Best Album and Song of Summer — with voting taking place on the official MTV Instagram Story throughout the week leading up to the show.
As for the night’s biggest names, Madonna currently leads all nominees with 13 nods, followed by Swift with 11, Sabrina Carpenter with nine and Ariana Grande with eight. In addition, GENER8ION and Yung Lean (3 each), and CORTIS and Stella Lefty(2 each), Don Toliver, Kali Uchis, Noah Kahan, Olivia Dean, Sienna Spiro and Tucker Wetmore are among the many earning their first-ever VMA nominations. This year, MTV also brought back the Best Dance category for the first time in seven years, which is presented by BACARDÍ Rum. To view a full list of nominees, click here.
Fans can vote for their favorites by visiting vote.mtv.com thru Sept. 25 at 6:00 PM, ET, except Best New Artist, presented by The General Insurance®, which remains active into show. Additionally, fans can get double the votes per category every day during Power Hour presented by BACARDÍ® Rum, running daily 1-2PM ET from August 20 through September 24.
Hosted by Snoop Dogg, the 2026 MTV VMAs will air live from Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27 @ 7:30PM ET/4:30PM PT on CBS, with the ceremony simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. The show will also be available globally the following day on Paramount+ and MTV.
