Taylor Swift VMAs Record Grows as Bebe Rexha Recalls Her Support

Taylor Swift became the most successful artist in MTV Video Music Awards history on Sunday, taking home video of the year and moving beyond the record she had shared with Beyoncé. BBC News reported that Swift entered the ceremony tied with Beyoncé on 30 VMAs wins before claiming the top prize for the visuals for The Fate of Ophelia, from her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl.

The milestone arrived as another story about Swift drew attention on the VMAs red carpet. E! News reported that Bebe Rexha recalled Swift reaching out to support her after Rexha said designers would not dress her for the 2019 Grammys because of her size. The comments added a personal dimension to a night already dominated by major career moments for Swift and Madonna.

Category	Winner	Work
Video of the year	Taylor Swift	The Fate of Ophelia
Artist of the year	Madonna	—
Best dance	Madonna	—
Best collaboration	Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter	Bring Your Love
Best pop	Lisa	Dream
Best group	BTS	—
Song of the year	BTS	Swim
Best alternative	Olivia Rodrigo	The Cure
Best art direction	PinkPantheress and Zara Larsson	Stateside
Best new artist	Sienna Spiro	—
Video Vanguard award	Nirvana	—
Best K-pop	BTS	—
Best R&B	Bruno Mars	I Just Might
Best hip-hop	Cardi B and Kehlani	Safe
Best Latin	Bad Bunny	NUEVAYoL
Best country	Ella Langley	Choosin' Texas

Taylor Swift VMAs record moves beyond 30 wins

Swift, 36, won three categories during the ceremony, according to The Guardian. Her video of the year victory made her the most successful artist in VMAs history after she began the evening level with Beyoncé on 30 wins. The award recognized The Fate of Ophelia, whose visuals are tied to Swift's 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl.

Swift also received the inaugural artist director award. BBC News reported that the honor recognized her work writing and directing the video for Opalite, a parody of a 1990s infomercial. Swift dedicated the award to Dolly Parton, calling her "the ultimate showgirl" and saying: "I think we were all very lucky to share this planet with Dolly Parton for a time."

The Guardian reported that Parton died last month at age 80 after being diagnosed with cancer. Swift also said: "Listening to her songs, it's like watching the best music video you have ever seen in your life, every single time you hear what she's written." According to The Guardian, Swift has made nearly 60 music videos across 20 years and wrote and directed 18 of them.

Taylor Swift debuts Patient Zero during the VMAs

Swift used the Los Angeles ceremony to debut the music video for Patient Zero, a new song featuring Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson in the video, BBC News reported. It is Swift's first music video since marrying NFL player Travis Kelce.

Patient Zero is one of four new tracks on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, which BBC News reported was released last week. The debut gave Swift another major moment during a ceremony in which she was already collecting awards and extending her place in VMAs history.

Taylor Swift support for Bebe Rexha resurfaces on red carpet

Before the ceremony, Rexha spoke to E! News about support she received from Swift years earlier. Rexha said Swift contacted her after she publicly discussed having difficulty finding a designer to dress her for the 2019 Grammys because of her size.

"I couldn't find a dress, and she had reached out to me because we're the same age, and I thought that was really, really, really kind of her," Rexha told E! News. She added: "Nobody really reached out - like some people did, but for her, at such a high level, to make me feel like I belong was really, really nice."

Rexha's remarks were made on the VMAs red carpet on September 27, placing the story alongside Swift's record-setting awards night. Her recollection focused specifically on Swift's private response during the 2019 Grammys period and how that contact affected her.

Madonna wins seven awards and returns to the VMAs stage

Swift's record was one of several major stories from the ceremony. Madonna entered the night with 13 nominations, the most of any artist, and won seven awards overall, The Guardian reported. Three of those victories came during the telecast. She won artist of the year over Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Bruno Mars and Morgan Wallen.

BBC News reported that Madonna also won best dance and best collaboration with Carpenter for Bring Your Love, the lead single from Madonna's 2026 album Confessions II. Her team additionally won best cinematography and best choreography for Confessions II, the film.

Madonna opened the ceremony at the Peacock theater in Los Angeles. The Guardian described it as her first VMAs performance in 23 years. She performed Bring Your Love with Carpenter and Danceteria with Charli xcx. BBC News noted it was her first VMAs show since her onstage kiss with Britney Spears in 2003.

After winning artist of the year, the 68-year-old reflected on appearing at the first VMAs 43 years earlier. "Most of you were probably not born when I performed at the very first VMAs 43 years ago," she said, according to BBC News. She also said: "I spent the last year and a half finding myself, believing in myself and really making the music that I wanted to make."

Other major VMAs winners and performances

Lisa of Blackpink became the first Asian solo artist to win best pop, BBC News reported. The 29-year-old, whose real name is Lalisa Manobal, won for Dream, beating Swift, Ariana Grande and Olivia Rodrigo. She told fans she "wouldn't be here without you guys".

Other winners included BTS for best group and song of the year for Swim, Olivia Rodrigo for best alternative with The Cure, and PinkPantheress with Zara Larsson for best art direction for Stateside. The Guardian reported that BTS also won best K-pop, Bruno Mars won best R&B for I Just Might, Cardi B and Kehlani took best hip-hop for Safe, Bad Bunny won best Latin for NUEVAYoL and Ella Langley won best country for Choosin' Texas.

VMAs moment	What happened
Swift's record	She moved beyond the 30 wins she had shared with Beyoncé.
Madonna's night	She entered with 13 nominations and won seven awards overall.
Lisa's milestone	She became the first Asian solo artist to win best pop.
Nirvana honor	The band received the Video Vanguard award.
Parton tribute	Kacey Musgraves harmonized with archival video of Parton performing I Will Always Love You.

The ceremony also featured performances from Raye and best new artist winner Sienna Spiro, while tributes honored Parton and George Michael. The Guardian reported that Sombr, Raye, Teddy Swims and Adam Lambert performed songs from Michael's Faith tour, 10 years after his death at 53.

Nirvana received the Video Vanguard award. Krist Novoselic accepted on behalf of Dave Grohl and Pat Smear and said the visual concepts behind Smells Like Teen Spirit, Come As You Are, In Bloom, Heart-shaped Box and All Apologies "came out of the vision of one of the greatest artists of all time, Kurt Cobain," according to The Guardian.

What happens next after Taylor Swift's VMAs record

Swift leaves the ceremony with a new VMAs record, three additional category wins and the first artist director award, while Patient Zero expands the music connected to The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore. Her awards night also coincided with Rexha's public recollection of the personal support Swift offered her in 2019.

Madonna, meanwhile, finished the evening with seven wins after entering as the most-nominated artist. Together, Madonna and Swift collected four of the six awards handed out during the two-and-a-half-hour telecast, The Guardian reported. The ceremony itself began more than 20 minutes late because of an NFL game.

Frequently asked questions

What record did Taylor Swift break at the VMAs?

Taylor Swift became the most successful artist in MTV Video Music Awards history. BBC News reported that she entered the ceremony tied with Beyoncé on 30 wins before taking video of the year for The Fate of Ophelia and moving ahead.

What did Bebe Rexha say about Taylor Swift's support?

Bebe Rexha told E! News that Swift reached out after Rexha said designers would not dress her for the 2019 Grammys because of her size. Rexha said the gesture was kind and helped make her feel that she belonged.

What awards did Madonna win at the 2026 VMAs?

Madonna won seven awards overall, according to The Guardian. BBC News reported that her wins included artist of the year, best dance and best collaboration with Sabrina Carpenter for Bring Your Love. Her team also won best cinematography and best choreography.

What new music video did Taylor Swift debut at the VMAs?

Swift debuted the video for Patient Zero during the Los Angeles ceremony, BBC News reported. The video stars Colin Farrell and Dakota Johnson. The song is one of four new tracks on The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore.