Pop music stars debuted extravagant ensembles on the red carpet for the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday at Los Angeles’s Peacock Theater. Snoop Dogg hosts the live ceremony on CBS and MTV, featuring performances, major nominations for Madonna and Taylor Swift, and the inaugural Artist Director Honors.
High Fashion and Themed Statement Looks at Peacock Theater
The arrival carpet at the Los Angeles venue drew some of the year’s most extravagant fashion statements from arriving musicians and personalities. Lisa Rinna turned up the heat on the 2026 MTV VMAs arrival carpet with her sculpted Seks dress for Sunday night’s event held at Los Angeles’s Peacock Theater, wearing a white gown with a distinct leather sculpted corset with a plunging neckline. Featuring sinuous lines, the gown, and Rinna’s entire look, was cast in a crisp monochrome white, with one shoulder featuring a draped chiffon fabric that continued to the drop waist as more draping added definition to the gown’s midline. The skirt continued the look’s turn toward Grecian sculptural forms, softened by a sensual, fluid drape, and included a thigh-high slit and a short train that trailed her on the arrival carpet while she continued the monochrome elements with a pair of ankle-strap platform pumps, kept accessories to a minimum with a pair of stud earrings, and sported an icy hair color with dark makeup, bold brows, smoky, shadowed eyes, and a glossy lip curated by stylist Daniela Viviana Romero. The brand behind the look, Seks, is a New York City-based label founded in 2019 by designer Abel Cepeda Ljoka and partner Will Kowall, known for its sensual, genderless stylings and recycled materials. Meanwhile, Adam Lambert, 44, brought the drama for one of music’s biggest nights, opting for a sleek black look with a cape that draped on the floor while attending the Sunday, September 27, show at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, pairing his outfit with a black headpiece that read, “Adam,” while donning black nail polish and dark eyeshadow with black earrings.
Other artists leaned heavily into dramatic textures and statement outerwear. K-pop star and actor Lisa is big – very big – on red in an enormous Quine Li coat and corset dress by The Attico. Also in leather, masked country musician Orville Peck arrived with a ‘cool’ Keith Haring t-shirt, while Charli xcx wore black velvet with Morticia Addams hair, and model Madisin Rian had some hide in this head-to-toe ensemble.
Several television and social media personalities also marked their arrivals with recognizable pop-culture homages. Ciara Miller looked like she was road testing her Halloween costume, dressing as Christina Aguilera in the “Dirrty” video, complete with lace-up leather pants and a matching leather bra. Paris Hilton made a quick red carpet pit stop before heading off to a Star Trek live-action role-play night with her nerdy mates, while TikTok personality Jessica Golich opted for a distinct look.
Taylor Swift, Madonna, and the 2026 Nominees
The ceremony marks a major milestone for Taylor Swift, who made an appearance after dropping four new songs just days before and is up for awards while becoming the first person to win Artist Director Honors, looking quite literally statuesque in a mock neck gown with a sculptural silver skirt.
Madonna is making her first appearance at the awards in 23 years, opening the show and leading with the most nominations of the night with 11.
Performances and Special Tributes Scheduled for the Broadcast
The live broadcast features a lineup of performances and appearances. Stars like Charli xcx, “Off Campus” stars Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli, Ciara Miller, David Corenswet, Brandon Sklenar, Alex Warren, Tyla and more hit the red carpet, while Sombr, Raye and Lisa were just some of the performers who also showed off their stylish looks before they hit the stage. Adam Lambert, though not nominated for an award on Sunday, teased his potential involvement in the show, telling Extra on Sunday, I’m excited to see this Madonna opening,
and adding, Yeah, I’m very excited about that. I might be here for, you know, a particular reason that I can’t really disclose at this time.
When a reporter asked Lambert to tease something, he replied with a laugh, Wasn’t that the tease?
and after being asked if he was maybe presenting something or doing a tribute, Lambert added, You know, my voice is warmed up.
Broadcast Details and West Coast Return
Sunday’s event marks the first time the MTV Video Music Awards have returned to the West Coast since 2017, taking place on Sunday, Sept. 27 at Peacock Theater in Los Angeles and hosted by Snoop Dogg.
