Hip-hop legend Busta Rhymes will receive the MTV VMA Rock the Bells Visionary Award; global icon Ricky Martin will be honored with the Latin Icon Award.
LL COOL J hosts the 2025 MTV VMAs, airing LIVE coast-to-coast from New York’s UBS Arena Sunday, September 7 @ 8:00 PM, ET/5:00 PM, PT on the CBS Television Network, simulcast on MTV and streaming on Paramount+ in the U.S.* Special offer: Paramount+ plans start at $3.99/mo. for students. Redeem now!
Alex Warren
Breakout singer-songwriter and the newest MTV PUSH artist will make his VMAs debut and look to capture his first Moon Person, nominated for Best New Artist, Best Pop and Song of the Year for his global #1 and the top-selling song of 2025 in the U.S., “Ordinary.”
Busta Rhymes
The music icon will receive the first-ever MTV VMA Rock the Bells Visionary Award, celebrating boundary-breaking cultural impact and an indomitable musical career spanning 20 million albums worldwide, 12 GRAMMY® nominations and seven top 10 debuts on the Billboard 200. His catalog boasts over 60 million records certified gold and platinum. He was also the Global Icon honoree at the 2024 MTV EMAs.
Since his first VMAs appearance in 1997, Busta has delivered a slew of show-stealing moments including a rapid-fire medley of greatest hits to close the 2021 show.
J Balvin ft. DJ Snake, Justin Quiles + Lenny Tavárez
Global superstar J Balvin returns to the VMAs with his latest hit, “Zun Zun,” joined by Latin stars Justin Quiles and Lenny Tavárez. He’ll then team up with multiplatinum producer DJ Snake – his first VMAs appearance – for the live premiere of their explosive collab, “Noventa.” A 13-time nominee, Balvin last performed in 2022 and looks to take home his sixth Moon Person this year to become the leading Latin award winner in VMA history.
Ricky Martin
Making history, the multi-GRAMMY® and Latin GRAMMY®-winning international trailblazer will become the first-ever artist to receive the Latin Icon Award, honoring a four-decade career that launched Latin music and culture into the mainstream with over 70 million albums sold worldwide and more than 180 awards for his music, acting and humanitarian work.
Ricky’s electrifying VMAs return marks the 26th anniversary of his first performance (1999), where he made history as the first male Latin artist to win for Best Pop Video and became the night’s overall top winner (five awards).
Sabrina Carpenter
Following a show-stopping debut and first VMA win for Song of the Year in 2024, the multi-hyphenate global popstar will make her highly anticipated return to the main stage. The 14-time nominee is up for eight awards this year, including the night’s biggest award for Video of the Year (“Manchild”) from her upcoming album Man’s Best Friend.
sombr
Internationally acclaimed breakout singer-songwriter and producer sombr will make his awards show debut LIVE on the VMAs stage, also receiving first-time nominations for Best New Artist and Best Alternative for his hit “back to friends.”
About the 2025 VMAs:
Production Credits: The 2025 VMAs are produced by Gunpowder & Sky. Bruce Gillmer, Den of Thieves co-founder Jesse Ignjatovic, and Barb Bialkowski are executive producers. Alicia Portugal is co-executive producer. Jackie Barba is executive in charge of production. Wendy Plaut is executive in charge of celebrity talent. Lisa Lauricella is executive in charge of music talent.
Sponsors: Official sponsors of the 2025 VMAs include BACARDÍ® Rum, Burger King®, DORITOS®, Downy Unstopables, Dunkin’®, The General Insurance®, PANTENE and Under Armour.
Additional performers, presenters and special guests to be revealed in the coming weeks. Follow @CBS, @MTV and @VMAs on social to keep up with all things #VMAs.
*Paramount+ Premium plan subscribers will have access to stream live via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate on the service, as well as on demand. Paramount+ Essential subscribers will not have the option to stream live but will have access to on-demand the day after the special airs.
