Taylor Swift takes home major wins at the MTV Video Music Awards.

Taylor Swift secured the top prize at the MTV Video Music Awards, winning Video of the Year for her collaboration with Post Malone on “Fortnight.” In her acceptance speech, she expressed gratitude to her boyfriend, NFL player Travis Kelce, for being present during the video shoot, calling him a source of happiness, fun, and magic. Swift then shifted focus to the upcoming 2024 presidential election, urging her fans over 18 to register to vote. Although she avoided mentioning Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign on stage, Swift had endorsed the vice president shortly after her debate with former president Donald Trump the previous night.

Swift’s latest wins bring her career total to 30 MTV Video Music Awards, tying her with Beyoncé as the most-awarded musician in VMA history. Eminem leads as the most-awarded male artist with 14 VMAs. Swift and Post Malone also won the night’s first televised award for Best Collaboration for their song “Fortnight,” presented by Flavor Flav and Olympian Jordan Chiles.

Swift began her speech by honoring the victims and families affected by 9/11, 23 years ago, saying, “I’ve been thinking about everyone who lost loved ones and everyone we lost. That’s the most important thing about today.” She then acknowledged Post Malone, praising him as the music industry’s favorite collaborator and joking about how long it took him to stop calling her “ma’am.”

Chappell Roan took home the Best New Artist award, dedicating her win to drag artists and the queer and trans communities, saying, “Thank you for listening.” Women dominated the VMAs, with Roan’s medieval-inspired performance set standing out as one of the show’s highlights.

Drag queen Sasha Colby introduced Chappell Roan as “your favorite drag queen’s favorite artist,” referencing Roan’s memorable Coachella performance, which was inspired by Colby herself. True fans likely appreciated this nod to their shared history.

Roan took the stage in armor, firing a lit crossbow at castle gates behind her, setting them ablaze. Her dancers, dressed as knights, engaged in an intense, choreographed battle as she performed her queer pop anthem, “Good Luck, Babe.”

Meanwhile, Sabrina Carpenter, another dominant voice in 2024 pop, won Song of the Year for “Espresso.” In her acceptance speech, she thanked her fans and joked, “And thank you to that me-espresso.” Earlier in the night, Carpenter delivered a vibrant medley of her hits “Please Please Please,” “Taste,” and “Espresso,” performing alongside a moon man and an alien.

Tyla took home the award for Best Afrobeats.

Katy Perry was honored with the Video Vanguard Award and celebrated with an eight-song medley of her biggest hits, including “Roar,” “E.T.,” “California Gurls,” “Teenage Dream,” “I Kissed a Girl,” “Firework,” and “Lifetimes.”

“I pulled that off on the first day of my period, can you believe it?” she joked while accepting the award from her partner, Orlando Bloom. She reflected on the challenges of sustaining a long career, saying, “There are no decade-long accidents.”

Perry also teased a new track, “I’m His, He’s Mine,” featuring Doechii, which samples Crystal Waters’ classic “Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee La Da Da).”

Past Video Vanguard Award recipients include Shakira, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, and Missy Elliott.

Eminem kicked off the VMAs accompanied by a group of Slim Shady lookalikes, performing a medley of his hits “Houdini” and “Somebody Save Me,” which featured a broadcast feed of Jelly Roll. The latter song references Jelly Roll’s massive country hit, “Save Me.”

Megan Thee Stallion made her debut as host at Wednesday night’s VMAs, humorously rebranding it as the “voluptuous Megan awards.” She later took to the stage for a performance.

Karol G delivered a fiery performance of her hit “Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido,” while Rauw Alejandro brought Puerto Rico’s energy with renditions of “Touching The Sky,” “DILUIVO,” and “Déjame Entrar.”

LL COOL J, joined by Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav and Chuck D, celebrated 40 years of Def Jam Records. Halsey channeled garage bands with her new single “Ego,” and GloRilla energized the crowd with “Yeah Glo!” and “TGIF.”

Blackpink’s LISA made her solo VMA debut, performing “New Woman” and “Rockstar.” Shawn Mendes returned with a John Mayer-inspired acoustic track, “Nobody Knows.”

Anitta, who won Best Latin, performed “Paradise,” “Alegria,” and “Savage Funk,” alongside DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, and Tiago PZK. Camila Cabello performed inside a panopticon, and Lenny Kravitz rocked out with “Are You Gonna Go My Way,” “Human,” and “Fly” with Quavo.

Held at UBS Arena in Long Island, the 40th VMAs were star-studded. Taylor Swift, who arrived in a green tartan corset and black leather gloves, led with 12 nominations, followed closely by Post Malone with 11. Last year, Swift won nine VMAs, bringing her total to 23, putting her just behind Beyoncé’s 30 awards and ahead of Madonna’s 20. If Swift wins seven more, she’ll tie Beyoncé’s record, and eight wins would make her the most awarded artist in VMA history.

Throughout the night, the VMAs paid tribute to iconic moments in its 40-year history, from Britney Spears and her albino python to Madonna’s “Like A Virgin” performance.

The VMAs aired on multiple platforms, including MTV, BET, Comedy Central, VH1, and Univision.