Several celebs skip 2026 VMAs as Ariana Grande and Harry Styles' absence sparks questions
A number of celebrities have unexpectedly skipped the 2026 MTV Awards, including Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo, and Bad Bunny, prompting questions from fans.
The long-awaited ceremony kicked off shortly after 7:30pm ET live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, following a short delay due to an NFL game running over its expected finish time.
Taylor Swift, Paris Hilton, Charli XCX, and Sombr all hit the turquoise carpet before the event kicked off, as did LISA and Raye, among a slew of other famous faces.
However, as we say, viewers who were eagerly anticipating Grande's arrival were left sadly disappointed, as the singer didn't show up despite being nominated for eight awards, including Video of the Year and Artist of the Year.
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It comes after the actress and singer, 33, made it clear she'd be 'taking a step back from visibility after she completed the Eternal Sunshine Tour'.
Her representative told PEOPLE Magazine at the time: "She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny. This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much."
Reacting to her absence, one fan took to X to write: "How many times do they have to be told that Ari had already announced she wouldn't be in the public eye? It’s obvious she wasn't going to attend. Let's hope we win an award #VMAS."
While a second questioned: "So is Ariana Grande not going to be at the VMAS tonight??? I was so excited to see her look!!!!"
And a third disappointed fan urged: "@vmas You can call Ariana Grande at home, or someone near her, and tell her to please hurry up and get to the #VMAs please."
As for Harry Styles, although this year he was nominated for two VMAs, Best Choreography for 'Dance No More' and Best Dance for 'Aperture,' the British singer also declined to attend.
The 'Watermelon Sugar' hitmaker also has a pretty good reason, though, as he's in the middle of a 30-show residency in New York City as part of his ongoing tour.
It's a similar story for Olivia Rodrigo, who was up for Best Album for 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,' as well as Song of the Summer for 'Stupid Song,' Best Pop for 'Drop Dead,' and Best Alternative for 'The Cure.'
But she's also in the middle of a busy tour schedule and has back-to-back shows on September 29 and September 30 in Pittsburgh.
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny was also a no-show, despite being nominated for Best Latin with his song 'NUEVAYoL'. The musician has yet to reveal why he wasn't there.
Travis Kelce didn't attend with his wife Taylor Swift, as he played in an NFL game just hours before in Miami.
And finally, Swedish hitmaker Zara Larsson also gave the VMAs a miss, despite having five nominations - this is because she had a scheduled performance at the Portola Music Festival in San Francisco that same evening, so we'll let her off.
Hosted by rapper Snoop Dogg for the first time, the show streamed live on CBS in the US and was simulcast on MTV.
This year, the awards ceremony returned to the West Coast of America for the first time in nine years, as the VMAs usually pick locations in New York or New Jersey.
As for who left as winners, Madonna dominated the night as the most-nominated artist and took home major awards, including Artist of the Year
Meanwhile, Swift officially became the most awarded solo artist in the history of the VMAs after being presented the first-ever award for artist director by her pal, Dakota Johnson.
Topics: Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, Celebrity, Entertainment, VMAs
Madison Burgess