LL Cool J is gearing up to emcee the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards as its solo host for the first time. The hip-hop icon, who previously co-hosted the VMAs in 2022 alongside Nicki Minaj and Jack Harlow, will now carry the show himself. The ceremony is scheduled to broadcast live from the UBS Arena in New York’s Long Island on Sunday, September 7, beginning at 8 p.m. ET. For the first time ever, the event will simultaneously air on CBS and MTV and be available for streaming on Paramount+.
This year’s nominations are lead-heavy with heavyweight talent. Lady Gaga dominates the field with a staggering twelve nominations spanning major categories including Artist of the Year, Video of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Album. Her close contender Bruno Mars follows with eleven nods, while Kendrick Lamar trails just behind with ten. K-pop star ROSÉ and pop standout Sabrina Carpenter each earned eight nominations, and Ariana Grande and The Weeknd secured seven apiece. Other noteworthy nominees include Billie Eilish with six nods and Charli XCX with five. Additional repeated nominees include Bad Bunny, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Jelly Roll, Miley Cyrus, and Tate McRae—all with four nominations.
This edition brings notable additions to the VMAs lineup with the introduction of two brand-new fan-voted categories: Best Pop Artist and Best Country. Artists across genres—from Latin and Afrobeats to K-pop, R&B, and alternative—are prominently featured this year. Big-name genre-specific nominees include Morgan Wallen and Jelly Roll, particularly in the Best Country category, where Jelly Roll’s widespread recognition sets him apart. In the Latin and K-pop scenes, Bad Bunny is making a mark in multiple heavyweight categories, while all members of BLACKPINK received individual nominations, sparking fervent discussions about representation and selection criteria within the K-pop fandom.
In key competitive categories, the contenders are as follows: Video of the Year includes Ariana Grande’s “brighter days ahead,” Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’s “Die With a Smile,” ROSÉ and Bruno Mars’s “APT.,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild,” and The Weeknd with Playboi Carti’s collaboration “Timeless.” For Artist of the Year, the slate is equally formidable: Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Lady Gaga, Morgan Wallen, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd vie for the top honor. The Song of the Year category also includes multiple entries from Gaga and Mars, as well as tracks by Billie Eilish, Doechii, Ed Sheeran, Gracie Abrams, Lorde, and others.
The VMA organizers have opened fan voting across 19 categories, with voting set to close on September 5 at 6 p.m. ET, except for the Best New Artist category, which remains open through the live show. Beyond pre-show excitement, the VMAs are set to honor not only established stars but also emerging artists and visionary creative work in visual categories like Direction, Cinematography, and Art Direction.
LL Cool J’s return as host marks a full-circle moment for the long-tenured artist, who previously claimed his first Moon Person in 1991 and was the first rapper to receive the Video Vanguard Award in 1997. His enduring connection to the VMAs and reputation for commanding the stage make him a fitting presence to guide this year’s celebration of music, culture, and innovation.
With the ceremony landing on a historic broadcast partnership with CBS, an expanded scope of nominations reflecting music’s genre diversity, and an industry titan returning to host solo, the 2025 VMAs are shaping up to be both a spectacle and a signal of how the awards continue to evolve.
