MTV Video Music Awards 2025: Mariah Carey To Receive Home Vanguard Award

The 2025 Video Vanguard Award from the MTV Video Music Awards will go to Mariah Carey, who has been a mainstay in the music industry for several decades.

At the awards ceremony, Carey will not only accept the prize but also take the stage to sing a medley of her best-known songs.

Over the years, Carey has had eight VMA nominations, including one for her song “Type Dangerous” in the best R&B video category at the 2025 event. She made her VMA debut in 1991 with a standout rendition of “Emotions,” and she returned in 1997 to present LL Cool J with the Video Vanguard Award.

Together with Whitney Houston, Carey opened the program the next year with a sketch in which the two women “accidentally” donned the same frock.

Carey has sold over 220 million albums worldwide and has won five Grammy Awards. She is the most successful solo singer in history, having achieved 19 Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 songs. Carey has also produced a number of iconic music videos for singles such as “Honey,” “Heartbreaker,” “Obsessed,” “Touch My Body,” “Breakdown,” and “#Beautiful.”

Less than two weeks before her most recent studio album, Here For It All, is released on September 26, the awards ceremony will take place.

Katy Perry, Beyoncé, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Missy Elliott, Rihanna, Shakira, and Justin Timberlake are among the past recipients of the Video Vanguard award. At the first VMAs in 1984, David Bowie, The Beatles, and director Richard Lester shared the award.

With 12 nominations, Lady Gaga has the most for the 2025 MTV VMAs. Kendrick Lamar received ten nominations, and Bruno Mars is not far behind with eleven. Lamar, Gaga, and Mars are all vying for the top video of the year award.

A number of performers, including Sabrina Carpenter, Sombr, Alex Warren, and J Balvin with DJ Snake, will also perform during the evening. Ricky Martin, who will get the Latin Icon Award, and Busta Rhymes, who will receive the Rock the Bells Visionary Award, are both expected to play at the event.

The 2025 MTV VMAs will be hosted by LL Cool J on September 7 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. For the second consecutive year, the ceremony will take place at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.

For the first time, CBS will broadcast the awards presentation live from coast to coast. In the United States, it will also be streamed on Paramount+ and simulcast on MTV.