NEW YORK—It is an awards show that has lost all of its luster and I’m not going to apologize for saying it. I’m referring to the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards. The nominees for the upcoming ceremony which have already been teased in advertisements to reach audiences to get them to watch the show which is airing on CBS, yes, CBS on September 7.

That is indeed a first because it’s MTV, which is affiliated with Paramount which controls both MTV and CBS. It is not an awards show that I’m so invested in as I used to be. Lady Gaga leads all contenders with a total of 12 nominations including Video of the Year for “Die With a Smile.” Not far behind is Bruno Mars with 11 nominations.

The star of the year in terms of music, Kendrick Lamar earned 10 nominations including Video of the Year for “Not Like Us,” that infamous diss track against rapper Drake that earned Lamar Grammys this year for Record and Song of the Year.

A partial list of this year’s nominees can be seen below:

Video of the Year

-Ariana Grande “Brighter Days Ahead”
-Billie Eilish “Birds of a Feather”
-Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us”
-Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars “Die With a Smile”
-Rose & Bruno Mars “APT.”
-Sabrina Carpenter “Manchild”
-The Weeknd Playboi Carti “Timeless”

Artist of the Year

-Bad Bunny
-Beyonce
-Kendrick Lamar
-Lady Gaga
-Morgan Wallen
-Taylor Swift
-The Weeknd

Best New Artist

-Alex Warren
-Ella Langley
-Gigi Perez
-Lola Young
-Sombr
-The Marias

Song of the Year

-Alex Warren “Ordinary”
-Billie Eilish “Birds of a Feather”
-Doechii “Anxiety”
-Ed Sheeran “Sapphire”
-Gracie Abrams “I Love You, I’m Sorry”
-Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Die With a Smile”
-Lorde “What Was That”
-Rose & Bruno Mars “APT.”
-Tate McRae “Sports Car”
-The Weeknd and Playboi Carti “Timeless”

Best Pop Artist

-Ariana Grande
-Charlie xcx
-Justin Bieber
-Lorde
-Miley Cyrus
-Sabrina Carpenter
-Tate McRae

Best Pop

-Alex Warren “Ordinary”
-Ariana Grande “Brighter Days Ahead”
-Ed Sheeran “Saphhire”
-Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars “Die With a Smile”
-Rose & Bruno Mars “APT.”
-Sabrina Carpenter “Manchild”

Best Hip-Hop

-Doechii “Anxiety”
-Drake “Nokia”
-Eminem feat. Jelly Roll “Somebody Save Me”
-GloRilla feat. Sexy Red “Whatchu Kno About Me”
-Kendrick Lamar “Not Like Us”
-LL Cool J feat. Eminem “Mudrgram Deux”
-Travis Scott “4X4”

Best R&B

-Chris Brown “Residuals”
-Leon Thomas and Freddie Gibbs “Mutt (Remix)”
-Mariah Carey “Type Dangerous”
-Partnextoor “No Chill”
-Summer Walker “Heart of a A Woman”
-SZA “Drive”
-The Weeknd and Playboi Carti “Timeless”

Best Rock

-Coldplay “All My Love”
-Evanescence “Afterlife”
-Green Day “One Eye Bastard”
-Lenny Kravitz “Honey”
-Linkin Park “The Emptiness Machine”
-Twenty One Pilots “The Contract”

Best Album

-Bad Bunny “Debi Tirar Mas Fotos”
-Kendrick Lamar “GNX”
-Lady Gaga “Mayhem”
-Morgan Wallen “I’m the Problem”
-Sabrina Carpenter “Short n’Sweet”
-The Weeknd “Hurry Up Tomorrow”

The ceremony will air live on Sunday, September 7 from the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York on CBS at 8 p.m. No host for the ceremony has been announced.