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Tonight, Madonna<\/a> reclaimed her VMAs throne by performing at the ceremony<\/a> for the first time in 23 years. She kicked the show off with a little help from Sabrina Carpenter\u2014alongside bondage dancers acting as steadicam operators\u2014for the duo\u2019s single \u201cBring Your Love.\u201d Later, Charli XCX walked out of a bathroom stall to perform \u201cDanceteria Afterhours<\/a>,\u201d the just-released remix to Madonna\u2019s Confessions II<\/em> track \u201cDanceteria.\u201d There were also cameos from Julia Garner, Debi Mazar, Sombr, and Seth Rogen smoking a joint. You can watch it below.<\/p>\n Madonna is the most-nominated artist<\/a> at this year\u2019s MTV VMAs. She earned 11 nods\u2014including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Album\u2014on the strength of her new album, Confessions II<\/em><\/a>. This is the third time Madonna has led the VMA nominations, having earned nine for \u201cRay of Light\u201d and \u201cFrozen\u201d in 1998, and nine for \u201cVogue\u201d in 1990.<\/p>\n The last time Madonna opened a VMAs ceremony was in 2003, and it was one for the history books: she sang a medley with Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera before they famously locked lips onstage. Previously, Madonna sang \u201cVogue\u201d at the awards show in 1990 in an 18th <\/sup>century French-insipred setup, and headlined the very first VMAs in 1984 while singing \u201cLike a Virgin.\u201d<\/p>\n Revisit the review of Madonna\u2019s new album, Confessions II<\/em><\/a>, and follow along with all of Pitchfork\u2019s coverage of the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n