Mariah Carey Wins First MTV Award: Every Time the VMAs Nominated Her But Never Let Her Win

Mariah Carey finally received her first award at the MTV Video Music Awards after being nominated nine times since 1996. Earlier during the night on Sunday, Carey received her first Moon Person trophy for Best R&B Video for her song, Type Dangerous. Later, she was honored with the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award for outstanding contributions to pop culture.

Carey was previously nominated in the category three times for her songs, One Sweet Day, We Belong Together, and Shake It Off. She was also nominated for the Best Female Video thrice for the songs, Honey, We Belong Together, and Touch My Body. Her last nomination came in 2022 for Song of the Summer for her song Big Energy.

While receiving her first Moon Person as well as the Vanguard honor, Carey addressed the fact that MTV was honoring her for the first time in nearly three decades. Before receiving her award, Carey took the stage to perform a medley of her hits, including Fantasy, Honey, Heartbreaker, Obsessed, It’s Like That, and We Belong Together. She also performed the single Sugar Sweet

Mariah Carey Receives VMA Honor from Ariana Grande

Mariah Carey took the stage to receive the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award from Ariana Grande. The Wicked actress introduced Carey with words of praise, sharing that she was “the reason so many of us sing.” Grande also thanked Carey for creating “an anthem for every single occasion.”

Grande further shared, “As a vocalist, there’s only one queen, and that’s Mariah.” She shared that Carey provided all music lovers with “the soundtrack of our lives.” Carey appeared more than happy to receive the honor from Grande.

ARIANA GRANDE GIVING MARIAH CAREY THE VANGUARD AWARD #vmas pic.twitter.com/Z9iwXzAbMB

— ໊ (@buffys) September 8, 2025

During her acceptance speech, she called Grande the “cutest” and praised her for her achievements. Carey shared, “I’m so grateful for you, and I’m beyond proud of everything you’ve achieved, girl.”

Mariah Carey Takes a Funny Dig at MTV During Her Acceptance Speech

Mariah Carey came on camera to deliver her acceptance speech when she received her first Moon Man ever for her song Type Dangerous. It was the first single from her upcoming album, Here for It All. She began her speech, “My first Moon Man ever. Here it is [showing the trophy]. Kind of heavy.”

She further took a cheeky dig at MTV. She shared, “Thank you so much, MTV. This is amazing. I don’t know why it took you so long to happen. But… Just kidding.” She went on to thank her collaborators on the music video of the song.

Mariah Carey's acceptance speech for 'Type Dangerous' winning Best R&B Song at tonight's #VMAs. pic.twitter.com/41ywq8Z4em

— Fan | Mariah Carey Charts (@chartmariah) September 7, 2025

Mariah Carey accepts the Video Vanguard Award. ⭐ 🏆 #MariahCarey #VMAs pic.twitter.com/cTPmSutGQ2

— Glitter Magazine (@glittermagazine) September 8, 2025

Later, when she received the Vanguard honor, she once again went at MTV with her dig. She shared during her speech on the stage:

She further recalled her memories on the VMAs stage, including the time when she presented LL Cool J with his Vanguard Award and performing with Whitney Houston. She also shared how she loved to make music videos and bring some drama into things that she wouldn’t do in real life.

The Vanguard honor was previously awarded to performers including Katy Perry, Shakira, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, and Missy Elliott.

What do you think of Mariah Carey’s first win at the VMAs? Let us know in the comments below!