Since its inception, the MTV Video Music Awards has been the site of some of pop culture’s most outrageous moments (remember Britney Spears and Madonna? That Rage Against the Machine guy? Miley Cyrus’s infamous twerking?). There might be a bit more hashtagging aloud and a lot more sponsorship in the mix now, but Monday night’s show was still able to wow us, make us laugh, and get us excited for all the Twitter tea that will certainly be spilled tomorrow.
Not only did we learn that legendary reality show of the aughts The Hills is coming back for a reboot; we were treated to a knockout performance from J.Lo, who received the Video Vanguard Award—as well as some delightful memes of her boo, A-Rod, stanning for Jenny From the Block. Logic brought some political urgency to the night with a moving performance that involved immigrant rights activist groups, and Madonna showed up to pay tribute to Aretha Franklin—sort of. Below, check out the must-see moments from the 2018 MTV VMAs.
Tiffany Haddish took a dig at Fifth Harmony
Haddish started the show off with the drama while congratulating Camila Cabello for her nominations.
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Logic dedicated his performance to protesting Trump’s zero-tolerance immigration policy
Immigrant leaders from the National Domestic Workers Alliance, United We Dream, and Make the Road New York, along with their children, participated on stage in his performance of “One Day.”
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The Backstreet Boys were the ultimate dorky dads
Singing the nominees’ songs they were presenting (including Post Malone’s “Rockstar”).
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Nicki Minaj performed in a new Financial District landmark
She was at the Oculus in downtown Manhattan (where Vogue actually commutes every day!).
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J.Lo smashed her Video Vanguard performance with a bunch of hunky angels in Versace
She covered all the hits, including “Waiting for Tonight,” with cameos from Ja Rule, DJ Khaled, and the 6 train.
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A-Rod was the proudest plus-one at the VMAs, hands down.
And he has his phone out to get it all on video.
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The Hills is coming back
We’re getting the West Hollywood gang back together, minus one Lauren Conrad.
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Aretha Franklin was memorialized with a clip from her iconic “I Say a Little Prayer” performance
With a speech from Madonna.
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Post Malone ended things on a sartorial high note with Aerosmith
The rapper may be known for his emotional intensity, but his suit was all smiles.
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See All of the Celebrity Looks From the 2018 MTV VMAs Red Carpet:
