Missed the 2018 MTV VMAs? Here Are the Moments Everyone Is Talking About

Relive the can't-miss parts of music's big night
By Grace Gavilanes
August 21, 2018 12:04 AM
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SHAWN MENDES' 'IN MY BLOOD' PERFORMANCE 

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Not only did he bring down the house — causing Camila Cabello and her mom to adorably dance and sing along in the audience — but his toned biceps kept us captivated for the entirety of his "In My Blood" performance. Especially when the rain started pouring down on stage.

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NICKI MINAJ WON BEST HIP-HOP FOR 'CHUN-LI'

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The Queen hitmaker might have won for "Chun-Li," but her disapproval of presenter Tiffany Haddish's dig at Fifth Harmony caught viewers' attention. "Don't be coming for Fifth Harmony because Normani is That Bitch," she said while accepting her Moon Person.

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THE ROCKETTES MADE A SURPRISE APPEARANCE

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Proof Blake Lively is all-powerful: while presenting best pop with A Simple Favor co-star Anna Kendrick, Lively asked for the iconic Rockettes to appear on stage … and a few seconds later, they mesmerized us with their long-legged moves.

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ARIANA GRANDE & PETE DAVIDSON KEPT MAKING GOOGLY-EYES AT EACH OTHER

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They're newly engaged, can you blame them?

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ARIANA GRANDE TOOK HOME BEST POP FOR 'NO TEARS LEFT TO CRY'

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… and ended her acceptance speech with a shout-out to her fiancé: "Pete Davidson, thanks for existing."

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IMMIGRANT FAMILIES JOINED LOGIC ON STAGE TO PROTEST SEPARATION

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Logic — who wore a black tee that read "F— THE WALL" — was joined by hundreds of immigrant children and families sporting white shirts that read "WE ARE ALL HUMAN BEINGS" during his and Ryan Tedder's "One Day" performance.

A press release describes the effort as one "to protest the Trump Administration’s cruel and inhumane family separation policy that tore thousands of children from their parents and continues to keep hundreds apart.”

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KYLIE JENNER & TRAVIS SCOTT CUDDLED 

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Jenner supported the rapper as he took the stage for his performance.

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NICKI MINAJ MADE HER DEBUT PERFORMANCE AFTER RELEASING QUEEN

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The golden goddess brought her star power to New York City's Oculus for a medley of "Majesty," "Barbie Dreams" and "FEFE."

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JENNIFER LOPEZ THANKED HER BOYFRIEND & HER KIDS IN HER VIDEO VANGUARD SPEECH

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The 49-year-old singer, dancer and actress gave a heartfelt speech thanking all the people who helped her along the way in her career, but saved the sweetest moment for her 10-year-old twins Max and Emme and boyfriend Alex Rodriguez, whom she called her "twin soul."

"... It wasn’t until I had two little angels come into my life that everything changed. I knew I had to be better, I had to go higher, I had to be stronger than I had been before. It was through that unconditional love that my career and life became higher in every way, and I stand here better than ever. So thank you Max and Emme."

Lopez also took the time to thank her longtime love: "And Alex. You’re like my twin soul. We’re like mirror images of each other,” she said. “My life is sweeter and better with you in it because you make me realize that every day the sky is not the limit — the universe is infinite, and so is what we can accomplish together with love and trust and understanding. There’s so much more to do — to experience — and there is no one I’d rather do it with. You’re my macho baby and I love you."

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ALEX RODRIGUEZ COULDN'T GET ENOUGH OF J.LO'S PERFORMANCE

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That face! The athlete served as the powerhouse's Instagram husband during J.Lo's Video Vanguard performance and was equally impressed with her assets.

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JENNIFER LOPEZ'S DAUGHTER EMME GOT TO MEET CAMILA CABELLO

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File "super-awesome celeb meet-cutes" under No. 246 J.Lo is the coolest mom ever.

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CARDI B TOOK HOME THREE AWARDS

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Cardi took home the Moon Person for song of the summer, best new artist and best collaboration with Jennifer Lopez and DJ Khaled for "Dinero."

“I’m so happy to receive this award,” the rapper said as she clutched her best new artist statuette. “A couple of months ago a lot of people were saying, ‘You’re gambling your career! You’re about to have a baby, what are you doing?’ And you know, I carried the baby, I had the baby, and now I’m still winning awards!”

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ARIANA GRANDE'S MOM, COUSIN & GRANDMA JOINED HER ON STAGE

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The singer hit the stage to perform her empowering new single "God Is a Woman" alongside a group of more than 50 diverse dancers. In a touching nod to some of the most important women in her life, Grande ended the performance by holding hands with her grandmother, her mother and her cousin.

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THE HILLS ANNOUNCED ITS RETURN 'SOON'

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During a commercial break, a preview for The Hills: New Beginnings aired and confirmed our wildest dreams: some of the MTV reality show's cast members will be reuniting for reboot, which is "coming soon." They also hit the red carpet (with adorable Gunner Pratt!) to tease the news.

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MALUMA MADE HIS MTV VMAS DEBUT

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The sexy Colombian singer took the stage with his live performance of "Felices Los 4" and it was so good, Camila Cabello and her mom got up to dance with the hitmaker.

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MADONNA PAID TRIBUTE TO ARETHA FRANKLIN — AND TWITTER WASN'T HAPPY

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When it came time to present the video of the year award, Madonna took the stage and began recounting a personal anecdote about how soul singer Aretha Franklin, who died from pancreatic cancer last week, inspired her career. Madonna was the subject of backlash on social media after Twitter users accused the singer of making the tribute all about herself.

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CAMILA CABELLO WON VIDEO OF THE YEAR

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The "Havana" crooner's dream came true when Madonna awarded her the Moon Person for video of the year. "This is so surreal," Cabello, who also took home artist of the year, said.

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By Grace Gavilanes