MTV VMAS

Amber Heard’s Sister Called Johnny Depp’s Cameo At The MTV VMAs ‘Disgusting’ And ‘Desperate’

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Johnny Depp made his first public appearance since the end of the defamation trial between him and ex-wife Amber Heard at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday. No, it wasn’t because “Sad Motherf*ckin’ Parade” was nominated for Best Collaboration — it was weirder than that. The Pirates of the Caribbean star appeared virtually inside a floating spacesuit to grumble something about needing work and being available for “birthdays, bar mitzvahs, bat mitzvahs, weddings, wakes, anything you need… anything.” There’s a lot of words that could be used to describe Depp’s cameo — weird, confounding, tasteless, etc. — but Amber Heard’s sister prefers “disgusting.”

“@MTV you’re disgusting and clearly desperate! I really hope that none of the people that made this call have daughters…,” Whitney Heard wrote in an Instagram Story, along with a graphic that reads “I stand with Amber Heard.” She also “renamed the event the ‘DVMA’s,’ a seeming reference to domestic violence,” according to People.

Following the trial in which Depp was awarded more than $10 million in compensatory damages (Heard is appealing), Whitney sided with her sister on Instagram. “I will always be proud of you for standing up for yourself, for testifying both here in Virginia and in the UK, and for being the voice of so many who can’t speak to the things that happen behind closed doors,” she wrote. “We knew that this was going to be an uphill battle and that the cards were stacked against us. But you stood up and spoke out regardless. I am so honored to testify for you, and I would do it a million times over because I know what I saw and because the truth is forever on your side.” You can read the post below.

(Via People)

Lizzo Had The Perfect Response For A Comedian Who Tried To Body Shame Her At The VMAs

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Despite being a critically acclaimed, Grammy Award-winning, best-selling rapper, singer, and actor, Lizzo still somehow has to put up with fatphobic comments from fellow entertainers with a fraction of the accolades. During a recent podcast appearance, comedian Aries Spears disparaged Lizzo’s body, saying, “She got a very pretty face, but she keeps showing her body off… a woman that’s built like a plate of mashed potatoes, you’re in trouble.” Although Lizzo had plenty of defenders online, she got the last laugh Sunday night at the VMAs as she added yet another award to her growing collection of hardware.

Accepting the Video For Good award (she doesn’t know what it means, either) for her song “About Damn Time,” Lizzo took the high road, clapping back at Spears without clapping back at all. “To the bitches that got something to say about me in the press… You know what, I’m not gone say nothing. They be like, ‘Lizzo why don’t you clap back? Why don’t you clap back?’ ‘Cause, bitch, I’m winning, ho!” She also shared a clip of her speech on Twitter with the caption “KEEP MY NAME IN YO MOUF CUS I KNOW IT TASTE GOOD BITCH.” Check it out below and watch Lizzo’s VMAs performance here.

Lizzo is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bad Bunny Takes To The (Fake) Beach To Perform ‘Tití Me Preguntó’ At The 2022 MTV VMAs

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Still hot off the release of his fourth studio album, Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny just delivered a fire performance at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards.

Taking the VMAs stage at Yankee Stadium in the middle of his World’s Hottest Tour, Bad Bunny performed “Tití Me Preguntó,” on a beach set-up in the middle of a set designed to resemble the towns of his home country, Puerto Rico. Surrounded by Puerto Rican and Latinx dancers, Bad Bunny radiated fiery Puerto Rican energy, with everyone in the audience dancing and singing every word.

Bad Bunny was nominated for two awards tonight, including Best Latin for “Tití Me Preguntó,” and Artist Of The Year, winning the latter. He was given his moon person following his performance.

Aside from Bad Bunny, Nicki Minaj, Jack Harlow (both of whom are also co-hosting alongside LL Cool J), Lizzo, Blackpink, Måneskin, Anitta, Panic! At The Disco, Kane Brown, Marshmello x Khalid, Snoop Dogg with Eminem, J Balvin, and 2022 MTV VMAs Global Icon Award recipients Red Hot Chili Peppers, also performed during this year’s show

Since its release this past May, Un Verano Sin Ti, has topped the Billboard 200 chart for nine non-consecutive weeks.

Check out Bad Bunny’s performance above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

VMAs Co-Host Nicki Minaj Couldn’t Help Shouting Out Her Loyal Barbz

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Last year, when Doja Cat hosted the MTV VMAs, she shook up fans’ expectations, having some fun with her fashion in addition to her gravity-defying performance duties. Her approach to hosting left some wondering how the show could top her performance as host since it was so over-the-top throughout the show. This year, MTV decided to shake things up again by having three stars sharing co-hosting duties — or rather, emceeing duties — and matching up Jack Harlow, LL Cool J, and Nicki Minaj to master the ceremonies. While LL really did bring the cool and Jack Harlow teamed up with his buddy Druski to give props to performer Kane Brown, Nicki used her time to shout out her Barbz, who gave the same energy right back. She gave a “Barbie wellness check,” asking fans in they looked good and felt good, receiving a raucous response.

In addition to emceeing the show overall, both Jack and Nicki were also billed as performers. While Jack had plenty of material to work with from the past year, including two No. 1 hits — his own “First Class” and Lil Nas X’s “Industry Baby” — Nicki, who is nominated for a Video Vanguard Award, polled her fans for a medley of her greatest hits, including her own newly released No. 1, “Super Freaky Girl.” Meanwhile, Harlow, along with Kendrick Lamar and Lil Nas X, leads all nominees with seven nominations, including Video Of The Year and Artist Of The Year.

Check out Nicki MInaj hosting above.

Eminem And Snoop Dogg’s Deliver Their VMAs Performance Of ‘From The D 2 The LBC’ From The Metaverse

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Eminem and Snoop Dogg delivered their VMAs performance of “From The D 2 The LBC” live from the metaverse, in character as their Bored Ape NFTs. The new song, which appears on Eminem’s greatest hits compilation Curtain Call 2, is the two veteran rappers’ first collaboration in over 20 years. Their last song together was on Eminem’s 2000 album, The Marshall Mathers LP.

Prior to their collaboration, though, the two rappers had a minor tiff in 2021 after Snoop admitted (correctly) that he didn’t think Eminem was one of the top ten rappers ever — something that got Eminem’s stans in an uproar even though Snoop showed him love just a day later on Instagram. The incident prompted Em to sneak in what some thought were jabs at Snoop on his album Music To Be Murdered By – Side B. In the song “Zeus,” Em says:

As far as squashin’ beef, I’m used to people knockin’ me
But just not in my camp, I’m diplomatic ’cause I’m tryna be
Last thing I need is Snoop doggin’ me
Man, dog, you was like a damn god to me
Nah, not really
I had “Dog” backwards

Later, he explained that he felt Snoop’s comments were disrespectful, and “threw [him] for a loop.” Snoop shot back that Eminem should “pray” he didn’t respond to the “Zeus” lyrics, but insisted that the two were “still friends,” and in an interview last October, issued a mea culpa, saying he was “out of pocket” with the way he phrased his praise of their mutual rhyme heroes. Earlier this year, they shared the stage for the Super Bowl Halftime Show with Dr. Dre, proving that it’s all good in the hood.

Nicki Minaj Performs A Medley Of Her Hits Before Accepting The Video Vanguard Award At The 2022 MTV VMAs

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15 years in the game, Nicki Minaj maintains her spot on the throne. Making a hotly anticipated appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards, Minaj took the stage, revisiting her several iconic eras.

During her performance, Minaj, who is also pulling in double-duty hosting the show tonight alongside Jack Harlow and LL Cool J, opened briefly with her Pinkprint cut, “All Things Go,” before quickly transitioning into “Roman’s Revenge” from her debut album, Pink Friday. She briefly recreated the video for her Kanye West collaboration, “Monster,” before dancing her way into a pink salon to perform “Beez In The Trap.”

Surrounded by unitard-clad dancers, she performed breakthrough hits “Moment 4 Life,” and “Super Bass,” during the latter of which, Jack Harlow and Taylor Swift were seen lip-syncing in the audience

As she performed “Ananconda,” she was guarded by two CGI jaguars and surrounded by men in leather harnesses.

Minaj closed the performance with her latest hit, “Super Freaky Girl,” which has been her first solo single to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Following her performance, Minaj was presented the Video Vanguard award by members of her fan army, the Barbz.

She thanked her inspirations, Lil Wayne, Lauryn Hill, and Doug E. Fresh, as well as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Britney Spears, and even her once-rumored rival, Mariah Carey, for giving her “huge opportunities [she’ll] never forget” in the realm of music. She also paid homage to late rappers, Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle, and Juice WRLD, as well as her father, her cousin Richard, and former business manager Angela Kukowski.

“I wish that Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were here,” she said. “I wish that people understood what they meant and what they were going through. Even if they seem to have the perfect life.”

Over the years, Minaj has won several VMAs, including Best Hip-Hop Video for “Super Bass” in 2011, Best Female Video for “Starships” in 2012, Best Hip-Hop Video for “Anaconda” and “Chun-Li” in 2015 and 2018 respectively, and Best Power Anthem for “Hot Girl Summer” with Megan Thee Stallion in 2019.

In addition to the Video Vanguard Award, Minaj is up for two other awards tonight, including Song Of The Summer for “Super Freaky Girl” and Best Hip-Hop for her Lil Baby collaboration, “Do We Have A Problem?”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Johnny Depp’s New Acting Gig Is Being Digitally Imposed Onto An Astronaut Floating Over The 2022 MTV VMAs

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The 2022 MTV VMAs have so far been full of surprises, or have at least had a couple of major ones. Taylor Swift showed up out of nowhere and then so did Johnny Depp, although Depp’s presence was far stranger than Swift’s.

At quiet moments during the broadcast, usually around commercial breaks, there was an astronaut character (a nod to the Moonperson on MTV’s VMA trophies) floating over the room. If you look and listen carefully, you’ll realize that Depp’s head is superimposed into the helmet. He offered some dialogue, too, like when he quipped, “I just want you guys to know that I’m available for birthdays, bar mitzvah, bat mitzvah, weddings, wakes… any old thing you need.”

Depp, of course, is fresh off his Amber Heard trial.

The show is of course star-studded beyond Depp, as performing during this year’s show are Nicki Minaj, Jack Harlow (both of whom are also co-hosting alongside LL Cool J), Lizzo, Blackpink, Bad Bunny, Måneskin, Anitta, Panic! At The Disco, Kane Brown, Marshmello x Khalid, Snoop Dogg with Eminem, J Balvin, and 2022 MTV VMAs Global Icon Award recipients Red Hot Chili Peppers. Taylor Swift also unexpectedly popped up at the show.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A Gigantic Twerking Hologram, J Balvin, And Ryan Castro Perform ‘Nivel De Perreo’ At The 2022 MTV VMAs

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J Balvin is one of the biggest stars in the world. He has a No. 1 single under his belt with the Cardi B and Bad Bunny collaboration “I Like It,” and the list of artists who get more streams than him on Spotify is a short one. Now his resume has gotten a tad more fleshed out, as he just performed at the 2022 MTV VMAs.

Balvin was joined by Ryan Castro to perform their collaboration “Nivel De Perreo.” With all due respect to Castro, though, the most notable guest of the performance was the giant twerking hologram that shook what its mama gave it throughout the song.

For this year’s ceremony, Balvin has a nomination, as his and Skrillex’s “In Da Getto” is up for Best Latin.

Aside from Balvin, also performing during this year’s show are Nicki Minaj, Jack Harlow (both of whom are also co-hosting alongside LL Cool J), Lizzo, Blackpink, Bad Bunny, Måneskin, Anitta, Panic! At The Disco, Kane Brown, Marshmello x Khalid, Snoop Dogg with Eminem, and 2022 MTV VMAs Global Icon Award recipients Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Check out Balvin’s performance above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Lizzo Busts Out A Show-Stopping Medley Of ‘About Damn Time’ And ‘2 Be Loved’ At The 2022 MTV VMAs

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Lizzo is having a moment right now. Her new album Special is her highest-charting so far, earning a peak at No. 2 on the Billboard 200, while “About Damn Time” was a multi-week chart-topper and a strong “song of the summer” contender (even if she wasn’t always so sure it would be the right lead single for Special). Now, she can put another feather in her cap as she’s fresh off a performance at the 2022 MTV VMAs.

Her performance started with a bit of “About Damn Time” before transitioning into her latest single, “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready),” all the while accompanied by a delightfully colorful light show behind her, complete with herself as a background dancer on the massive triangular video screen behind her.

Lizzo has some major nominations at this year’s show: She’s up for Artist Of The Year while “About Damn Time” is up for Song Of The Year. The track is also nominated for Best Pop and Video For Good.

Aside from Lizzo, also performing during this year’s show are Nicki Minaj, Jack Harlow (both of whom are also co-hosting alongside LL Cool J), Blackpink, Bad Bunny, Måneskin, Anitta, Panic! At The Disco, Kane Brown, Marshmello x Khalid, Snoop Dogg with Eminem, J Balvin, and 2022 MTV VMAs Global Icon Award recipients Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Check out clips from Lizzo’s performance above.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.