Madonna will kick off the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday night with her first performance on the show in 23 years, marking her first VMA stage appearance since the infamous 2003 opening-number kiss with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.

The show, airing live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on CBS, MTV and Paramount+, will be Madonna's fifth time opening the VMAs, breaking a tie with Rihanna and setting a new series record. She enters the night as the top nominee with 11 nods, including Artist of the Year and Video of the Year for "Confessions II — The Film."

Longtime VMAs producer Van Toffler previewed the number as a multi-part spectacle, telling The Hollywood Reporter that Madonna's rehearsals have "so many fun, different elements, it will make your head spin."

Snoop Dogg hosts this year's ceremony, which also includes a George Michael tribute from Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims, and a Dolly Parton tribute performance from Kacey Musgraves. Nirvana receives the Video Vanguard Award, and Taylor Swift will accept the first-ever VMA Artist-Director Honors while premiering her "Patient Zero" video.