Madonna performed for the first time in 23 years at the MTV VMAs on Sunday, opening the show by bringing out special guests Sabrina Carpenter and Charli xcx to perform their respective duets.

After a 20-minute telecast delay due to the NFL game, the pop icon began her performance perched on the top of a piano as Carpenter played the keys. Dressed in a black waistcoat and knee-high boots, Madonna traded verses with Carpenter, who wore a glittery ensemble along with a beret. Madonna then descended the stairs and removed her coat to reveal a red-and-black corset as dancers lifted her onto a table that rolled around a choir in the audience wearing white veils.

Madonna circled back to the stage, which had been transformed into the bathroom set from the “Danceteria” music video. Charli xcx emerged from one of the stalls to the tune of the freshly released “Danceteria Afterhours” remix, as did Madonna along with actresses Debi Mazar and Julia Garner. Throughout the performance, Seth Rogan, Andrew Watt and Sombr made cameos before the two-song spectacular came to an end. “Make some noise for Madonna!” said Charli.

#SabrinaCarpenter makes a surprise appearance during #Madonna’s #VMAs performance.(via CBS/MTV/VMAs) pic.twitter.com/b7UtSqEilT

Madonna has been a perennial fixture at the VMAs since its inception, dating back to her iconic performance of “Like a Virgin” at the show’s 1984 debut. In the decades that followed, she performed “Express Yourself” in 1989, “Vogue” in 1990, “Ray of Light” with Lenny Kravitz in 1998 and, of course, alongside Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera during her last VMAs performance in 2003.

She also led all other artists in nominations for the 2026 VMAs, earning 13 nods. Taylor Swift followed with 11 nominations, Sabrina Carpenter with nine and Ariana Grande with eight.

Madonna brings out Charli xcx during her #VMAs performance pic.twitter.com/fBzA6A7zt9

Days before her appearance, VMAs producer Van Toffler spoke with Variety about bringing Madonna back to the stage. “Well, look, we can deny it as much as we want, but Madonna is the M in MTV,” he said. “I knew it the day I started there. She is the queen of MTV. She makes great videos. She’s provocative. She always pushed us, and this year’s performance will be no exception.”

The pop titan is coming off of a momentous year on the back of her 15th album “Confessions II,” which was released in July. The record, her first in seven years, was a sequel of sorts to her seismic 2005 album “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” reuniting her with producer Stuart Price for 16 tracks that embraced contemporary dance music while nodding to her roots and backstory.

Madonna kicked off the era with the debut of the lead single, “Bring Your Love,” during a surprise appearance during the second weekend of Carpenter’s headlining set at Coachella in April. In the months that followed, Madonna staged key activations including a rave at West Hollywood’s Abbey and a performance in partnership with Grindr at New York City’s Times Square. Following the release of “Confessions II,” she dropped new versions of several songs including “Love Sensation” featuring Kylie Minogue and “Danceteria Afterhours” with Charli xcx, which arrived just days before the VMAs performance.