Nirvana to receive Video Vanguard honour at 2026 VMAs
Nirvana will receive MTV's Video Vanguard honour at the 2026 Video Music Awards on 28 September.
The show will air on MTV and CBS, with the grunge band set to collect the lifetime achievement distinction for work in music video, Billboard reported. It is the first time Nirvana has received the award.
The three most recent recipients were Shakira, Katy Perry and Mariah Carey, in that order. Nirvana are the first rock band to receive the honour since Duran Duran in 2003.
That run excludes two other rock acts. Foo Fighters received the Global Icon Award at the 2021 VMAs and Red Hot Chili Peppers won the same award in 2022. That award has since been discontinued.
Nirvana are also the first inactive act to receive the Video Vanguard since The Beatles in 1984, the first year of the VMAs. Frontman Kurt Cobain died in 1994, after which the band dissolved.
The 2026 ceremony will also include a tribute to George Michael. RAYE, SOMBR and Teddy Swims will perform in the segment, which marks 10 years since Michael died on Christmas.
The tribute ties to a wider release plan. Michael's 1988-89 Faith Tour will be honoured with a new live album and concert film later in 2026.
Snoop Dogg will host the ceremony, which will air live from Los Angeles. The broadcast will go out coast to coast on CBS and MTV and will stream live on Paramount+.
LISA, RAYE and Sienna Spiro were added as performers, Billboard reported. RAYE is therefore set for two appearances on the night, with a solo slot as well as the Michael tribute.
Behind the scenes, Gunpowder & Sky is the production company for the show. Jesse Bialkowski and Bruce Gillmer serve as executive producers, with Van Toffler as producer.
Toffler spent nearly 30 years at MTV before leaving in 2015. He returned to lead the VMAs in 2025 and has stayed on for this year's edition.
For viewers, this means a short ceremony with two clear threads. One looks back to video-era rock. The other revisits late-1980s pop through three current performers.
