Lady Gaga made an appearance at the 2025 VMAs to collect one of the most major awards of the night annnnd then left the show after approximately 15 minutes. But she had a good reason! To recap: Gaga skipped the red carpet and made her appearance sitting next to Ariana Grande in the audience:
She then hopped onstage to take home the award for Artist of the Year and mentioned during her speech that she wouldn’t be able to stay long due to performing at Madison Square Garden. As she put it, “I wish I could stay and watch all these amazing performances, but I have to come back to Madison Square Garden. Love you.”
Check out her full speech, via Elle:
“Getting ready for the show, I thought how much it would mean to me to win this award tonight. And I cannot begin to tell you what this means to me. I thought about what it means to be rewarded for being an artist, being rewarded for something that is already so rewarding. Being an artist is an attempt to connect the souls of people all over the world. Being an artist is a discipline, a craft meant for reaching into someone’s heart, where it grows its roots and reminding them to dream. Being an artist is a responsibility to make the audience smile, dance, cry, release at any turn. It is a method of building understanding and celebrating community. I hope as you navigate through the mayhem of daily life, you are reminded of the importance of the art of your life that you can count on yourself and your simple skills to keep you whole. Your rehearsal, your discipline, your craft deserves to be rewarded for its passion; the way you move through your life is iconic and rare. It is entirely yours. I dedicate this award to the audience. You very much deserve a stage to shine on, and I give you all my applause. Thank you, Little Monsters, my fans, for always supporting me and always supporting the monster in me. And to my partner in all things, Michael: Creating this year with you was a beautiful, beautiful dream, and you have been my partner every step of the way. I dedicate this to you to, too, my love. I wish I could stay and watch all these amazing performances, but I have to come back to Madison Square Garden. Love you.”
