VMAs 2022

Jimmy Fallon Is Keeping His 2022 VMAs Beard But Not Because People Think He’s ‘So Hot Right Now’

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At the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards a couple weeks ago, Jimmy Fallon was on hand to present Harry Styles the Album Of The Year award for Harry’s House. He ended up causing quite the stir by showing up with a new beard, which plenty of folks online found attractive. Later, Fallon acknowledged the ‘thirst’ and ‘confusion’ his VMAs appearance was causing on the internet.

Since then, he’s been back to hosting The Tonight Show and he still has the beard. Last night (September 12), Drew Barrymore guested on the program and she and Fallon have a strong rapport, considering they co-starred in Fever Pitch once upon a time and that Barrymore co-founded production company Flower Films with Fallon’s wife, producer Nancy Juvonen. So, she wasn’t shy about opening the interview by having some fun with Fallon’s look.

Fallon started by telling Barrymore that she looked good and Barrymore responded by exclaiming about how Fallon kept his beard. Barrymore then teased, “You love it because everybody’s saying you’re so hot right now. You love it and now you don’t want to lose it.” As Barrymore spoke and the audience cheered, Fallon bashfully laughed and said, “No, that’s not why I love it.”

After talking about it some more, Fallon offered an explanation (but not really) for why the beard has stuck around, saying, “I figured, I’m just going to keep it on. I have nothing… I figured… I don’t know why, I’m just going to leave it on…”

Check out Barrymore’s interview with Fallon above.

Lil Nas X Refutes (Jokingly, Perhaps) A Fan’s Heartwarming Story About Meeting Him At The 2022 VMAs

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Lil Nas X 2022 MTV Video Music Awards VMAs
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Lil Nas X had a big night at the 2022 MTV VMAs this past weekend as he walked away with some awards. His evening apparently also included a chance encounter with a fan, who excitedly shared their story online.

The post, titled “Just met Lil Nas X” and shared to the r/offmychest subreddit, racked up over 9,700 upvotes before it was deleted by the user who posted it (potentially a sign that they fabricated the story and removed it after it got more attention than expected). Nas shared a Pop Crave tweet about the post and added, “this is not true. i am very mean in person. i once slapped a fan for singing the lyrics to industry baby wrong.”

The parts about Nas being “very mean and person” and slapping a fan are clearly jokes, although it’s possible he is actually denying the story, despite the goofing around. Even if the encounter did really happen (which, again, is up in the air), the rapper may not have remembered it anyway, as he was “drunk af” at the show and only realized the next day that he won three awards.

Read the full Reddit post below.

“It’s my birthday, I work low level in the entertainment industry. I was able to secure sh*tty tickets to the VMAs to see Nicki Minaj. I headed out after she performed because long drive home.

The elevator attendant at Prudential Center accidentally let me off on some kind of high security floor. Lil Nas X appeared out of nowhere as I was trying to find the exit. I’m a shy person so it took a lot for me to approach him and I didn’t want to be annoying but it’s my birthday and this opportunity seemed once in a lifetime, so I did.

I said (awkwardly) ‘Montero?’ He said ‘yeesss?’ I said ‘I’m not supposed to be here I’m sorry but can I get a picture with you?’ He said laughingly ‘yes but tell me I look classy’ (he was in his VMA outfit). I did obviously and he was so nice and posed and then suggested we change lighting so the pics would be better. It was really nice. We took a bunch of cute pics.

I’m an unpaid intern and meet a lot of assholes in this industry. It was really nice to meet someone I admire and find out they’re a genuinely nice person. That’s all!!!”

Chlöe Is ‘So Happy’ To See Britney Spears Being ‘Herself On Her Own Terms’

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Getty Image / Allen Berezovsky

Before the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards kicked off on Sunday (August 28), Variety‘s Marc Malkin was on the red carpet for interviews. As he chatted with some of the most beloved stars at this year’s VMAs, he made it a point to ask about Britney Spears and her new comeback song with Elton John, “Hold Me Closer,” getting a mixed bag of answers.

When Malkin mentioned Spears to recent Uproxx cover star Chlöe, she lit up and said, “I’m so proud of her. I love Britney and I’m so happy to see that she can be herself on her own terms.” He then asked what song he’d like to duet on with Spears and she went with “Toxic.” Malkin tried to coax Chlöe into singing a bit of the song but she playfully declined.

He also asked Latto the duet question and she answered, “We gotta do something from scratch, we gotta do something from scratch.” She added, “Brit: call me, girl. It’s nothing. I do think, some new Britney… the world needs some new Britney.”

Answering the same question, J Balvin chose “Slave 4 U” and even sang a brief snippet of it.

Måneskin and TikTok star Chris Olsen also chatted about Spears, so check out those clips below.

People Thought Jimmy Fallon Looked Hot At The 2022 VMAs And He’s Amused By The ‘Thirst And Confusion’

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Jimmy Fallon 2022 MTV VMAs Video Music Awards
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Consumers of American pop culture are used to see Jimmy Fallon in a particular way: Behind the Tonight Show desk, wearing a suit, and overall well put together. He sports some facial hair here and there, but for the most part, he’s consistently clean-shaven. On Sunday (August 28), though, Fallon was at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards looking decidedly different than he usually does and onlookers felt some sort of way about it.

The Tonight Show host was on hand at the VMAs to present Harry Styles the Album Of The Year award for Harry’s House, looking not as buttoned-up as always. Rather, he sported a loose white shirt and a scruffy beard. That aroused some feelings and Fallon took notice. On Instagram yesterday (August 29), Fallon shared a photo of himself from the show and screenshot of a Cosmopolitan article titled “Jimmy Fallon’s Presence At The 2022 VMAs Is Causing Thirst And Confusion On Twitter,” with the subhed, “Maybe it’s the beard?.” Fallon captioned the post, “Out here causing ‘thirst’ and ‘confusion’. That was fun, @mtv!! #vmas #maybeitsthebeard.”

Cosmopolitan had it right with their framing, as a look at Twitter reveals VMAs viewers who were surprised at the effect Fallon’s look was having on them. Check out some reactions, including comparisons to Styles, below.

Lil Nas X Was ‘Drunk AF’ At The 2022 VMAs And Only ‘Just Realized’ He Won Awards The Morning After

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Lil Nas X had a terrific night at the 2022 MTV VMAs yesterday, as he had seven nominations (tied with Jack Harlow and Kendrick Lamar for the most) and ended the show with three wins. By his own admission, the rapper apparently only processed those victories this morning, though, thanks to a number of drinks he enjoyed last night.

Sharing some photos of himself holding his trophies, Nas wrote on Twitter today, “i was drunk af last night ngl just realized i won 3 thank u vmas [crying emoji] [hearts emoji].”

Despite his state, he seemed pretty coherent alongside Jack Harlow as they accepted their Best Collaboration award for “Industry Baby,” especially considering that acceptance speeches are often a moment when excited artists are at their most flustered.

Meanwhile, he recently noted he has some stuff for fans to look forward to, saying, “I have some unexpected things, collaborations coming up. I wouldn’t want to ruin those, though. […] I do have something very special coming really soon around the time of my tour starting. That’s something I’m super excited about music-wise.” As for that tour, he noted, “Without giving it away, all I can say is it’s more of a show than it is a concert.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. 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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Getty Image / Noam Galai

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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Johnny Depp 2022 MTV VMAs
MTV

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.