Taylor Swift wins top prize, announces new album at MTV VMAs

Taylor Swift took home the top prize at the 2022 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday before she closed out the show with a surprisingly big announcement: Her new album.

“I thought it would be a fun moment to tell you that my new album comes out Oct. 21,” said Swift after she won video of the year for her project “All Too Well: The Short Film” (10-minute version), which claimed best long-form video. “I will tell you more at midnight.”

Swift said on social media that her upcoming 10th studio album would be called “Midnights,” which she says will involve “stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.” Her upcoming release comes after she released “Folklore” and “Evermore.” Both projects came out five months apart two years ago. “Folklore” won album of the year at the 2021 Grammy Awards.

The pop star’s reveal came at the end of her acceptance speech where she praised the other women in the category - which included Doja Cat and Olivia Rodrigo.

“I know with every second of this moment that we wouldn’t be able to make this short film if it weren’t for you - the fans,” she said. “I wouldn’t be able to re-record my albums if it wasn’t for you. You emboldened me to do that.”

She spoke about creating her first short film, giving thanks to several including actors Sadie Sink and Dylan O’Brien who starred in the project.

“We put our entire hearts into this,” Swift said.

Rapper Jack Harlow made his mark throughout the entire show. He kicked off his performance inside a mock airplane walking down the aisle while performing his hit song “First Class,” which was sampled by Fergie’s “Glamorous.” The rapper joined Fergie onstage - who wore a sparkling silver dress with the red words “First Class” - while she sang her 2006 jam.

“Thank you to Fergie for coming out with me tonight and clearing this song,” said Harlow after “First Class” won the award for song of the summer later in the show. “The beauty of this song is that people don’t realize it’s so hip-hop because of the sampling. To bring Fergie into the mix in this way means the world to me. It’s truly full circle. ‘Glamorous’ was one of the most important songs of my childhood.”

During the show, Depp made a surprise appearance as the Moon Man nearly three months after the verdict in his defamation trial with his former wife Amber Heard. The 59-year-old actor floated from the ceiling while wearing the iconic astronaut outfit with his face digitally inserted into custom helmet.

“And you know what? I needed the work,” Depp told the audience at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Lizzo had Taylor Swift dancing out of her seat while she performed her new single “2 Be Loved (Am I Ready).” She won an award for video for good for “About Damn Time.”

Harlow’s name was called to come right back onstage to collect the show’s first award for his guest appearance on Lil Nas X’s song “Industry Baby,” which won for best collaboration. Both Harlow and Lil Nas X are tied for leading nominees with seven apiece.

“This one is for the champions,” said Lil Nas X before Harlow thanked him for the collaboration on the chart-topping single. The song propelled their nominations, landing them in competition for artist of the year along with Drake, Bad Bunny, Ed Sheeran, Harry Styles, and Lizzo.

Harlow, in addition to performing and winning awards, joined LL Cool J and Nicki Minaj as the show’s hosts.

Minaj performed a medley of her career’s biggest hits from “Roman’s Revenge,” “Chun-Li,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Beez in the Trap,” “Anaconda” and “Super Bass.” After she set, the rapper accepted the show’s Video Vanguard award, which MTV has said she’s receiving for her artistry, barrier-breaking hip-hop, and status as a global superstar. The honor is named after Michael Jackson.

During her acceptance speech, Minaj paid tribute to other music icons such as Jackson, Whitney Houston, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West. She spoke about the importance of mental health.

“I wish people took mental health seriously, even when you think they have the perfect lives,” said Minaj, who later won the best hip-hop for her song “Do We Have a Problem?” featuring Lil Baby.

Harry Styles won album of the year for “Harry’s House.” He was unable to attend the awards due to his show at Madison Square Garden in New York.

Bad Bunny performed his hit “Titi Me Pregunto” from Yankee Stadium after he won artist of the year.

“I have been saying it and I always believed from the beginning that I could become great,” he said. “That I could become one of the biggest stars in the world without having to change my culture, my language, my jargon. I am Benito Antonio Martínez from Puerto Rico to the whole world, thank you!”

Eminem and Snoop Dogg brought the metaverse to the VMAs as the duo performed “From the D 2 The LBC,” which was featured on Eminem’s greatest hits album “Curtain Call 2.”

The Red Hot Chili Peppers took the stage as the recipients of the Global Icon award after being introduced by Cheech & Chong as their “favorite band of all time.” The band - which consists of Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Chad Smith, and John Frusciante - performed several songs including their hit “Can’t Stop” from the group’s 2002 album “By the Way” and their recent hit “Black Summer,” which won the best rock.

Flea made a speech about his love for human beings along with cockroaches, trees, and dirt. Smith, the band’s drummer, dedicated the award to Taylor Hawkins, the late Foo Fighters drummer who died early this year.

“I dedicate this to Taylor and his family,” he said. “I love them and I miss him every day.”

Madonna, who is the most awarded artist in MTV history with 20 wins, became the only artist to receive a nomination in each of the VMAs for five decades. She earned her 69th nomination for her 14th studio album “Madame X.”

Lizzo calls out "bitches that got something to say about me in the press," Fergie is surprised and viewers are left to split between Depp and Fallon.

The MTV Video Music Awards are back -- and thanks to a great lineup of performers, star-studded nominees, and a trio of high-profile hosts, it was another night to remember.

This year's show returned to the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, with Nicki Minaj, LL Cool J, and Jack Harlow emceeing as a trio. Minaj -- who didn't pop up until the 1-hour mark -- also received the Video Vanguard Award following an epic performance.

Headed into the night, Harlow, Doja Cat, and Harry Styles led the pack for nominations, taking in eight each. Kendrick Lamar, Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, Drake, Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd were all close behind.

Here are all the moments that erupted on Twitter throughout the night.

A Fergalicious Start

The night got off to a very Fergalicious start as Jack Harlow kicked things off with a performance of his hit "First Class," which samples Fergie's 2006 hit "Glamorous."

She then joined him on stage rocking a sparkly "First Class" mini as she started to sing her hit from "The Dutchess." This marked her first appearance at the American VMAs since the song was released.

No, it wasn't a long performance, but nice to see her back at the VMAs nonetheless!

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Johnny Depp Appears as the Moon Person

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TMZ revealed ahead of the show that Johnny Depp would appear during the telecast as the Moon Person and it didn't take long for it to happen. After opening numbers from Jack Harlow and Fergie, as well as Lizzo, the show cut to a commercial -- where Depp made his first appearance.

His face appeared via a pre-recorded video in the mask of the Moon Person as they hovered over the stage -- joking, "I needed the work." He continued to pop up randomly throughout the show, before and after commercial breaks, joking he's down to work "weddings, wakes, any old thing you need ... anything."

His appearance was a controversial one, as it comes following his divorce and subsequent legal battle against Amber Heard. The reaction was definitely split, with his devoted fans cheering him on as his critics wondered why he was even invited to participate.

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BLACKPINK In Your Area

BLACKPINK made their big VMA debut -- making their first appearance at US awards show ever and the first time a female K-pop group has performed at the annual award show.

It was also one of the first times the group performed their new single, "Pink Venom," which dropped earlier this month.

Judging by the screams in the audience and fans reacting at home, it was a success.

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Jimmy Fallon, Hot or Not?

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Jimmy Fallon started trending as the cameras kept cutting to him in the audience during the show -- and, by the time he hit the stage to present Album of the Year to Harry Styles, the timeline started to debate whether the "Tonight Show" host was hot.

Sparking the debate: his beard and a Hawaiian shirt.

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Nicki Minaj Takes Over the VMAs

It took a full hour for cohost Nicki Minaj to make her first appearance at the VMAs, after skipping the red carpet as well. But when she arrived, she arrived.

Ahead of her Vanguard Award win, she was flanked by dancers in front of a giant Barbie house as she performed a medley of her hits -- including "Roman's Revenge," "Monster," "Beez in the Trap," "Chun‐Li," "Moment 4 Life," "Super Bass" and "Anaconda," before ending it with her latest single "Super Freaky Girl."

The routine ended with stripper pole tricks and male dancers in leather harness grinding up on the superstar before the auditorium erupted in cheers and a standing ovation. She was then given the Vanguard Award, with a group of her fan army -- the Barbz -- presenting her with the trophy.

As she accepted her award, she thanked her inspirations -- including Lil Wayne, Foxy Brown, and Lauryn Hill -- as well as those who gave her big opportunities -- including Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Eminem, Britney Spears, and Rihanna.

She said she wished that both Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were still alive -- saying she wished people understood "what they were going through" and pleading with viewers to take mental health seriously. She ended her speech by giving a shoutout to her son ... and plugging her new Greatest Hits album.

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Into the Metaverse

Eminem and Snoop Dogg performed their 2022 collaboration "From the D 2 the LBC" at the awards ... but half of the performance took place inside of the metaverse.

It was pretty weird, having two of the night's biggest names reduced to computer-generated NFTs for more than half of their performance when they were right there in the house. Eventually, they jumped back into the real world and finish out the song, but the number as a whole left viewers at home pretty damn confused.

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Red Hot Chili Peppers Win Big

The Red Hot Chili Peppers were honored with the Global Icon Award during the show, following a performance of their recent single "Black Summer" and classic hit "Can't Stop" -- proving why they were so deserving of the trophy in the first place.

During their acceptance speech, Anthony Kiedis first thanked "the sassy mistress known as MTV for supporting us for 1,000 years or more." He went on to thank "the people of planet Earth" for caring about them and his bandmates for "giving me a purpose in my life for the last 40 years." He added, "I would have been a free-floating disaster in space if not for these boys, so thank you boys for giving me something to do with my life and love."

Chad Smith dedicated the award to Taylor Hawkins and his family, adding, "Fly on Hawk, fly on brother." Eagle-eyed viewers also noticed "Taylor" on Smith's drumset. Flea, meanwhile, sent love to everyone and everything in the world from cockroaches to the birds in the sky, concluding, "everything that isn't love is cowardice."

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Lizzo Gets the Last Laugh

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Accepting the Video for Good award for "About Damn Time," Lizzo hit back at Aries Spears body shaming her -- and anyone else hating on her in public -- without naming him at all.

At the end of her speech, she addressed "the bitches that got something to say about me in the press." After taking a beat, she said, "You know what, I'm not gonna say anything. They're like, 'Lizzo, why don't you clap back?' Because bitch, I'm winning, ho."

"Big bitches winning, ho!" she exclaimed, before leaving the stage.

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Bad Bunny Makes History

Bad Bunny made VMA history at this year's awards, becoming the first Latin artist to take home the Artist of the Year Award.

While he wasn't in the house to accept his award, he performed live from Yankee Stadium and had the trophy brought out on stage to him following his performance.

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Taylor Drops News on New Album

Picking up her trophy for Video of the Year, Taylor Swift had a big surprise in store for her fans -- revealing in her speech that her new album will drop on October 21, 2022.

She didn't have much else to add but teased there would be more info coming at midnight. So, stay tuned!

See more of the night's performances below: