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Ariana Grande<\/a><\/strong> took home the top honor at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Wicked\u00a0star, 32, won the Video of the Year category for “Brighter Days Ahead” during the Sunday, September 7, ceremony at UBS Arena in New York. (Grande also won Best Pop moments earlier, notably thanking her “therapist and gay people.”<\/a>)<\/p>\n “I want to start again with my fans, thank you so so so much. I love you with all my heart [and] I have since I was a teenager, since we first crossed paths, and I will for my whole life,” Grande said in her speech. “Art has been a safe space for me since I was a kid. I\u2019m so grateful that I get to do this with my life, and to have such fiercely loving and supportive fans.”<\/p>\n She continued, “Thank you for\u00a0<\/span>growing with me and being so supportive of me as a human being navigating in real-time, which creative itch needs to be scratched, whether it\u2019s acting, music, musical theatre or a little bit of tour. This project is about the hard work that is healing all different types of trauma and coming home to our young selves and creating safety in our own lives, which is a lifelong process and a daily exercise. If you\u2019re on that journey, please continue onward because I promise there are brighter days ahead.”<\/p>\n MTV Video Music Awards 2025 Red Carpet Looks: Celebs in Daring Outfits That Deserve Their Own Moonman<\/a><\/p>\n Billie Eilish\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cBirds of a Feather,\u201d Kendrick Lamar\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cNot Like Us,\u201d Lady Gaga<\/strong> and Bruno Mars\u2019<\/strong> \u201cDie With a Smile,\u201d Ros\u00e9<\/strong> and Mars\u2019 \u201cAPT.,\u201d Sabrina Carpenter\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cManchild\u201d and The Weeknd<\/strong> and Playboi Carti\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cTimeless\u201d were also nominated for Video of the Year<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Video of the Year contenders were some of the most-nominated artists at the VMAs this year. Gaga led the pack with 12 total nods, followed by Mars with 11, Lamar with 10, Carpenter and Ros\u00e9 with eight, Grande and The Weeknd with seven, Eilish with six and Carti with three.<\/p>\n Of the nominees, Lamar, Gaga and The Weeknd are the only past winners of Video of the Year. Lamar, 38, has earned the honor twice during his career \u2014 once for being featured on Taylor Swift\u2019s<\/strong> \u201cBad Blood\u201d in 2015 and again for his song \u201cHumble\u201d in 2017. Gaga, 39, received the accolade for \u201cBad Romance\u201d in 2010, while The Weeknd, 35, won the award for \u201cBlinding Lights\u201d in 2020.<\/p>\n MTV Video Music Awards 2025 Nominees and Winners: See the Complete List<\/a><\/p>\n Mars, 39, and Grande, for their parts, both have four previous nominations for Video of the Year. Eilish, 23, boasts three past nods in the category.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Carpenter, 26, Carti, 29, and Ros\u00e9, 28, each earned their first-ever Video of the Year nominations in 2025.<\/p>\n Ariana Grande and Pete Davidson, More Couples Who Made Their Red Carpet Debut at the VMAs<\/a><\/p>\n While Swift, 35, was not up for the award this year, she has won the category more times than any other artist, taking home five Video of the Year trophies during her career. Prior to Sunday\u2019s ceremony, the pop star was the reigning winner after receiving the accolade in 2024 for her \u201cFortnight\u201d music video with Post Malone<\/strong>. At the time, Swift dedicated the award<\/a> to Travis Kelce<\/strong>, who she recalled \u201ccheering\u201d her on behind the scenes of the project.<\/p>\n