‘What Were You Waiting For?’

The pop diva hit the stage for a show-stopping performance of her greatest hits, before she was presented the Video Vanguard Award by Ariana Grande, and reacted to receiving her first Moon Person ever.

After a career spanning decades, Mariah Carey is finally an MTV VMA winner — and was honored with the Video Vanguard Award at the 2025 ceremony.

During the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, the diva took the stage for a show-stopping performance, singing a medley of her greatest hits, including “Fantasy,” “Honey,” “Heartbreaker,” “Obsessed,” “It’s Like That,” and “We Belong Together,” along with her new single, “Sugar Sweet.”

Before she hit the stage, Ariana Grande introduced Carey’s performance by calling her “the reason so many of us sing,” thanking the legend for creating “an anthem for every single occasion.” She also praised Carey by saying, “as a vocalist, there’s only one queen, and that’s Mariah” — and crediting her for “providing us with the soundtrack of our lives.”

Following her epic performance, Carey accepted her award from Grande, thanking the singer, calling her the “cutest.”

“I’m so grateful for you, and I’m beyond proud of everything you’ve achieved, girl,” she said.

Carey then thanked MTV for the honor, before reacting to her first VMA win and the special award, jokingly calling out the network for finally giving her a win after she had previously received nine nominations. Carey actually won her first Moon Person ever before the ceremony started, when she was given Best R&B Video for her song, “Type Dangerous,” which is the first single from her upcoming album, Here for It All.

“Thank you so much, MTV for giving me the Vanguard Award,” she said. “I can’t believe I’m getting my first VMA tonight. I just have one question. What in the Sam Hill were you waiting for? I’m kidding, I love you, MTV. I love you so much. This is amazing.”

“Being here brings back amazing memories, like when I presented LL Cool J his Vanguard Award, or when Whitney Houston and I opened the show with a faux standoff, and we were both, like, had our dresses and we were like, ‘Try it on me!’ It was a moment,” Carey continued.

“Music videos are my way of life, of bringing music to my own life — mini movies, visualizing the sheer fantasy of it all,” she said. “And let’s be honest, sometimes there’s just an excuse to bring the drama and do things I wouldn’t do in real life: like going in drag for ‘Obsessed,’ playing my alter ego, Bianca, in ‘Heartbreaker,’ escaping the mob in ‘Honey’ with a hot guy to a remote island. Well, that one really wasn’t much of a stretch, but you know, it happened. Anyway, after all this time, I’ve learned that music evolves, videos evolve, but the fun, that is eternal. Thank you, MTV, for playing my videos, and to my fans, the Lambily. I love you so much.”

Previous Michael Jackson Vanguard Award recipients include Katy Perry, Shakira, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Janet Jackson, LL COOL J, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, and Missy Elliott. David Bowie, The Beatles, and director Richard Lester shared the honor at the first VMAs in 1984.