Madonna opened the VMAs on Sunday for the first time in 23 years and it was a train wreck. MTV still handed her Artist of the Year. That’s the story everyone will be talking about. Not a comeback. A network paying the opener by giving her an undeserved award and a chance to embarrass herself. Good grief it was awful. Madonna needs to retire. Immediately. She did a Confessions II medley with Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX on a bathroom set. Madonna wore a black leather jacket, tiny red shorts that rode up every time she turned, and thigh-high boots. The shorts were too small for the choreography and too tight for the camera. Every wide shot found the same odd red distraction on Madonna, and that’s putting it nicely. Carpenter and Charli can still perform. Madonna looked like she was hanging on for dear life during the number. It was honestly tough to watch. As for Madonna’s Artist of the Year award, her album Confessions II did have a real first week in July. Then it disappeared. That’s either not worthy of an award or a terrible year for music. Or both. MTV still built the VMA night around Madonna: thirteen nominations, the open, then the trophy. They gave her Artist of the Year because she showed up, not because 2026 belonged to her. Madonna is 68 and she can still fill a stage. Her name carries but her performance doesn’t. She didn’t earn Sunday’s VMA award. It was given to her and was charity at best. I loved 1980s Madonna. She was a superstar but she simply doesn’t shine anymore, and anyone saying otherwise is lying. She should’ve retired a long time ago or changed her act into something that evolves instead of pretending time doesn’t exist and hasn’t taken its toll. The buildup for Sunday was huge and the result was a letdown. That’s the risk of overhyping, and the VMAs just learned it the hard way. Taylor Swift’s night was anticlimactic too. The Artist Director honor, the Patient Zero video, the extra songs from Friday. Her machine showed up but her music and her video didn’t in any positive way. That’s just the truth.