Mariah Carey is set to receive the Video Vanguard Award and perform a medley of her biggest hits at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. The event will air live coast-to-coast on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS. It will also be simulcast on MTV and available for streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.
At 56, Carey will become the oldest recipient of the Video Vanguard Award, surpassing Richard Lester, who was 52 when he received the honor at the inaugural VMAs in 1984. The award has increasingly gone to older recipients in recent years, with past honorees Jennifer Lopez, Missy Elliott, and Shakira all being over 45 when they were recognized.
Carey will be the eighth consecutive female recipient of the award, following a line of distinguished women, including Rihanna (2016), Pink (2017), Jennifer Lopez (2018), Missy Elliott (2019), Nicki Minaj (2022), Shakira (2023), and Katy Perry (2024). The award was not presented during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.
This will be Carey’s first VMAs performance in 20 years. In 2005, she performed her hits “We Belong Together” and “Shake It Off,” with Jadakiss and Jermaine Dupri also appearing in the segment. Carey first appeared on the VMAs stage in 1991 with a performance of “Emotions” and returned in 1998 for a memorable moment with Whitney Houston.
The press release from MTV refers to the honor as both the Video Vanguard Award and the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Carey and Jackson were both affiliated with Sony Music in the 1990s.
Carey, who has achieved 19 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, has co-written 18 of these chart-toppers. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2022 and has been nominated for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame twice in recent years.
Her 16th studio album, “Here for It All,” is slated for release on Sept. 26 and features the single “Type Dangerous,” which is nominated for best R&B video at this year’s VMAs. If successful, it would be Carey’s first VMA win in a competitive category.
Billboard’s Andrew Unterberger had predicted Carey as a top contender for this year’s Video Vanguard Award, noting her long and influential career in music videos.
Sabrina Carpenter will perform at the VMAs for the second consecutive year. Other performers include Alex Warren, Busta Rhymes, J Balvin featuring DJ Snake, Ricky Martin, and sombr. Busta Rhymes will receive the MTV VMA Rock the Bells Visionary Award, while Ricky Martin will be honored with the inaugural Latin Icon Award.
Lady Gaga leads the 2025 MTV VMA nominations with 12 nods, followed by Bruno Mars with 11. Other top nominees include Kendrick Lamar (10), ROSÉ and Sabrina Carpenter (eight each), Ariana Grande and The Weeknd (seven each), and Billie Eilish (six).
This year marks the first time the VMAs will be broadcast by CBS, with a simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.
The 2025 MTV VMAs are executive produced by Bruce Gillmer, Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic, and Barb Bialkowski. Van Toffler, CEO of Gunpowder & Sky, returns as producer after a decade-long absence. Alicia Portugal serves as co-executive producer, with Jackie Barba overseeing production, Wendy Plaut in charge of celebrity talent, and Lisa Lauricella in charge of music talent.
