Therapists Were the Real Stars of the 2025 VMAs

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As the artist Rosé made history last night, becoming the first K-pop artist to win Song of the Year at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, she took a moment to thank someone special. “As my therapist tells me to do every day, I’d like to thank myself for not giving up, even in the toughest of times. And always remember, you’ve got you.” Later in the night, Ariana Grande’s speech for her Video of the Year award featured a similar acknowledgment. “Thank you for championing me as a songwriter and producer as well. I love you so much,” she said, “And thank you to my therapist and gay people. I love you.”

It was one of those honest, deserved recognitions—like when Ayo Edebiri thanked her managers’ and agents’ assistants at the 2024 Golden Globes, or when Melanie Lynskey gave her children’s nanny a loving shoutout at the 2022 Critics’ Choice Awards. Alongside the oft-thanked parents, God, and “cast and crew,” there are plenty of less-acknowledged behind-the-scenes players who make it possible to book the role, make the album, and show up as your best self. Therapists have a place among them, making last night’s speech shoutouts feel not only notable, but frankly overdue.

It’s never been less embarrassing to admit you see a therapist. In fact, I’d argue that today, people are quicker to shame those who’ve made no effort to tend to their mental health (whether that’s fair or not is a debate for another time). According to the CDC, almost a quarter of Americans ages 18-64 receive mental health treatment, and a 2025 Thriveworks survey found that nearly half of U.S. adults plan to start seeing a therapist in the next year. We’re also in the middle of a boom—with plenty of celebrities making it their mission to “dispel the stigma around mental health.” Olivia Rodrigo made headlines for funding her Guts World Tour crew’s therapy treatment, and stars like Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez have founded organizations to expand access to mental health education and resources.

So Rosé and Ari’s acceptance speech therapy mentions weren’t significant because they confessed to receiving mental health support; that’s par for the course for a public figure with a Gen Z audience in 2025. The context is what made the moments shine. With a clock ticking down, pressuring them to somehow distill their project’s effort, time, and manpower into a 30-second roll call, they each recognized that their therapists deserved to be named and acknowledged in that moment.

I’ve seen plenty of stars post videos in minimal makeup and denim to urge fans to care for their mental health. That vulnerability humanizes the face of the cause and makes the prospect of seeking out therapy a lot less intimidating. But to shout out your therapist to an audience of millions as you accept a career-defining award frames therapy as empowering and integral to success. There stands a megastar in full couture who has taken a beat to reflect on how their mental health resources helped them arrive at their victorious position. In that light, the therapist stands alongside the agent or the assistant; they’re not just a helpful outlet for processing life’s issues, they’re a crucial contribution to professional achievement.

While Ariana and Rosé’s commendations last night felt unprecedented, I predict we’ll be seeing a lot more celebrities take a page out of their book this coming awards season. Like the nannies and the admins, we’ve gone too long without shoutouts to the mental health professionals. Let the on-stage therapy thank yous begin.

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