Nicki Minaj to return as host of MTV VMAs
Minaj will host and perform at the annual award show for the second year in a row on Tuesday.
Nicki Minaj is coming back to the MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). MTV announced on Friday that the superstar rapper is returning to host the ceremony for the second year in a row.
Minaj co-hosted the 2022 MTV VMAs with LL Cool J. This year, she will fly solo as host, announcing the performers, presenters and award winners. In addition to serving as emcee, Minaj is also slated to perform on the VMA stage. She will unleash the live world premiere of her new single, “Last Time I Saw You.”
The 2022 MTV VMAs were memorable for Minaj. While co-hosting, she also won the best hip-hop video award for “Do We Have a Problem,” featuring Lil Baby, the third time she’s won in the category. She also received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award and performed a show-stopping medley of her greatest hits.
Minaj has given the VMAs some of its most memorable performances since her ceremony debut in 2012 with Alicia Keys for “Girl on Fire.” She performed three times during the 2014 award show, and from 2015 to 2017, other superstar women, including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry, joined her on stage.
This year, Minaj, a six-time VMA winner, has six nominations, tied for the third most of the year with Doja Cat, Miley Cyrus, Blackpink and Olivia Rodrigo. She’s nominated for artist of the year, while her video for her No. 1 single, “Super Freaky Girl,” is up for video of the year, best hip-hop video, and best visual effects. Her collaboration with Yung Bleu, “Love in the Way,” received a nod for best R&B video.
Minaj is not the only rap superstar performing at the VMAs. Lil Wayne will grace the stage for the first time in more than a decade, and like Minaj, he’s expected to perform a live world premiere of a new single, “Kat Food.” Sean “Diddy” Combs will also hit the stage, as he receives the Global Icon Award.
The 2023 MTV VMAs will air live at 8 p.m. ET on Sept. 12 from the Prudential Center in Newark. Coco Jones, French Montana, GloRilla, and Ice Spice are among the ceremony’s presenters.
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