The 2026 MTV Video Music Awards nominations are finally here, with Madonna leading the field with 11 nominations and Taylor Swift close behind with nine. Yet, as is often the case with major awards shows, the announcement sparked immediate debate over who was overlooked despite delivering some of the year’s biggest commercial and creative releases.
While the VMAs recognized many of 2026’s defining releases, several artists and songs were surprisingly absent from major categories. Here are the biggest snubs from this year’s nominations.
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Taylor Swift Misses Song of the Year
Taylor Swift remains one of the ceremony’s biggest contenders, earning nine nominations, including Video of the Year and Artist of the Year. Even so, the omission of “The Fate of Ophelia” from Song of the Year immediately stood out.
The lead single from The Life of a Showgirl spent 10 weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, shattered Spotify’s single-day streaming record, and became one of the defining pop releases of 2026. Beyond its commercial dominance, the Shakespeare-inspired song generated widespread conversation thanks to its lyrical reinterpretation of Ophelia and its cinematic visual companion.
Ironically, the music video earned recognition across nearly every major technical category—including Direction, Art Direction, Cinematography, Editing, Choreography, Visual Effects, and Best Pop—making the absence of the song itself even more puzzling.
Olivia Rodrigo’s Major Categories Vanish
Olivia Rodrigo collected only two nominations: Best Pop for “Drop Dead” and Best Alternative for “The Cure.”
That feels surprisingly modest considering the impact of You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with the biggest opening week of her career and produced multiple Hot 100 top-10 hits, including another chart-topping single.
Given Rodrigo’s recent VMA history and her continued influence on pop music, the lack of nominations in Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, or Video of the Year represents one of the ceremony’s most notable omissions.
aespa Completely Shut Out
Perhaps no omission shocked K-pop fans more than aespa receiving zero nominations.
After earning a Best K-Pop nomination last year for “Whiplash,” the quartet returned with the successful LEMONADE era, launched a major world tour, and maintained strong international streaming numbers.
Instead, the Best K-Pop lineup features BLACKPINK’s “JUMP,” BTS’ “SWIM,” CORTIS’ “REDRED,” KATSEYE’s “Pinky Up,” LE SSERAFIM featuring j-hope’s “Spaghetti,” and LISA’s “Dream.”
The inclusion of KATSEYE’s English-language single “Pinky Up” has prompted discussion among fans, with many arguing that aespa’s “Lemonade” would have been a more conventional fit for the category.
Ariana Grande Misses Song of the Year
Ariana Grande enjoyed an outstanding nominations morning with seven nominations, including Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, and Best Pop.
Still, “hate that i made you love me” failed to appear in Song of the Year despite debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and launching the hugely successful petal era.
The single paired introspective songwriting with sleek Max Martin and Ilya production, quickly becoming one of the year’s defining pop records. Considering both its chart success and critical reception, many expected it to receive recognition alongside the eventual nominees.
BTS Deserved More Than Two Nominations
BTS still secured nominations for Song of the Year and Best K-Pop with “SWIM,” but their overall presence feels unusually limited.
The group’s comeback album ARIRANG ranks among the biggest releases of 2026, combining strong commercial performance with global cultural impact. That made potential nominations in Artist of the Year or Video of the Year feel entirely realistic.
Compared with previous VMA campaigns, seeing BTS represented in just two categories marks a noticeable reduction.
Adéla Misses Best New Artist
One of the year’s fastest-rising newcomers failed to appear in Best New Artist.
After signing with Capitol Records, Adéla released The Provocateur, became the first Slovak artist ever to chart on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Ain’t in LA,” and joined Demi Lovato on an arena tour before announcing her debut album, Prima.
Instead, MTV nominated Bella Kay, CORTIS, Magnus Ferrell, Malcolm Todd, Myles Smith, Sienna Spiro, and Stella Lefty.
Considering Adéla’s rapid international breakthrough and growing industry support, her omission feels difficult to ignore.
Doja Cat Left Out of Best Dance
The return of Best Dance made one omission especially surprising.
Doja Cat’s “Jealous Type” embraced disco and funk influences while marking a stylistic shift back toward the brighter sound that first made her a global star. Although it peaked at No. 28 on the Hot 100, the song earned strong reviews and previously landed a Song of the Summer nomination during the 2025 VMAs.
With artists like Tate McRae, Lady Gaga, Harry Styles, Madonna, PinkPantheress, and Zara Larsson filling the category, “Jealous Type” seemed like a natural stylistic fit.
Drake’s Minimal Presence
Despite another commercially dominant year, Drake walked away with only one nomination: Best Hip-Hop for “Janice STFU.”
His ICEMAN era produced one of the biggest releases of 2026. The rapper’s ambitious triple-project rollout dominated streaming services, topped charts worldwide, and reinforced his position as one of the industry’s most commercially successful artists.
Whether voters were responding more heavily to visual creativity than streaming performance is open to interpretation, but seeing Drake nearly absent from the ballot remains one of this year’s biggest surprises.
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