Viewer Reactions to the MTV Video Music Awards

After this year’s MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs), many viewers took to social media to express their dissatisfaction, with some even suggesting it might be time to end the award show. One user on X stated that the event “felt like a funeral,” resonating with others who shared similar sentiments.

“Getting the feeling this might be the last VMAs,” one commenter noted, a post that surprisingly gained over 26,000 likes and nearly two million views. Another user chimed in, saying, “We say this every single year,” and bluntly proposed, “Honestly just pull the plug.”

One person remarked, “There’s no shame in bowing out gracefully. Gotta read the room.” Another user characterized the situation even more broadly, declaring that “Award shows are dying in general.”

“The VMAs have felt like a funeral for a while now. It had its time in the sun, but those days are sadly over and what it’s become doesn’t work,” another stated, echoing the feelings of the frustrated audience.

Another user pointed out their surprise, mentioning that they didn’t even realize the show was happening that night. Another description compared the VMAs to “a room full of people in the same industry standing around applauding each other,” with a bit of sarcasm regarding the authenticity of the appreciation exchanged, suggesting a more mirrored interaction instead.

As if to compound the frustration, fans who tuned in eagerly for the VMAs’ traditional opening performance were left disappointed when a Cowboys-Ravens NFL game aired instead. The official VMAs account later tweeted to ensure viewers that the show would begin after the football game.

One viewer expressed their outrage, posting, “I’m so upset Madonna is on stage [right now] and we’re watching football! WHAT TF HAS THIS WORLD COME TO!” Another viewer complained about technical difficulties, saying that they “couldn’t even see the opening performance because it was glitching the entire time.”

Meanwhile, a third user voiced their frustration more dramatically, stating, “You guys are a bunch of sick [expletive], this will be the last VMAs because you [expletive] killed them.”

The award show didn’t start streaming until almost 8:00 p.m., about 20 minutes late, with the opening performance already finished and awards being handed out. Notably, several popular artists, including Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande, were absent from the event, while Madonna faced criticism for her “utterly unfocused” performance, which included an odd moment where she seemed to forget which award she was accepting.

All in all, the VMAs hosted by Snoop Dogg at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles left viewers with mixed feelings, as many seemed to question the event’s relevance in today’s entertainment landscape.