Is Taylor Swift Attending The 2025 VMAs?

Taylor Swift is the most awarded artist in the history of the MTV Video Music Awards. At the 2024 ceremony, she won seven Moon Person trophies, surpassing Beyoncé to break the record for the most VMAs by a solo artist, with 30 career wins. In addition, she extended her record for most Video of the Year wins, taking home her fifth prize for “Fortnight,” and winning the category for the third year in a row.

Therefore, fans might expect the reigning queen of the VMAs to make an appearance at the 2025 ceremony. But that might not be the case. Unlike the past few years, Swift only received one nomination for Artist of the Year. She’ll face off against Bad Bunny, Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar, Morgan Wallen, The Weeknd, and Lady Gaga, who leads the pack with 12 nominations.

While some may consider this a snub, Swift didn’t release any new music or videos during the 2025 eligibility period, as her most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, was honored the previous year. (So, it’s actually a feat to still be nominated.) This raises questions about Swift’s attendance.

Will Taylor Attend The VMAs?

MTV has not yet confirmed whether Swift will attend the 2025 VMAs, which takes place on Sept. 7. For most award shows, she doesn’t announce her attendance in advance and typically shows up on the red carpet, unless she’s also performing or presenting at the show. However, according to E!, Swift is not planning to go to this year’s ceremony.

While Swift’s nomination is rather impressive, it doesn’t give her as much incentive to show up to the 2025 VMAs. However, if she wins Artist of the Year, she could still make history from afar as she’d be the first person to win that category for three consecutive years.

Swift may not be attending as she could be abroad all weekend. Her fiancé, Travis Kelce, is playing a football game with the Kansas City Chiefs in São Paolo, Brazil, on Sept. 5, just two days before the VMAs. According to Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo, the NFL is reportedly working on a security plan for Swift to attend the game, which means she may not be back in time for the VMAs.