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This Is Why Taylor Swift Is Skipping the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards (Exclusive)

There’s a blank space in the VMAs seating chart this year, baby. Taylor Swift will not be attending the MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, August 28, multiple sources confirm to Us Weekly.

Related: PHOTOS: Taylor Swift's Best Surprised Faces

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift attends the 2015 MTV Video Music Awards.

The country starlet turned pop phenom — who won four Moonmen at last year’s ceremony, including Video of the Year for her celeb-packed “Bad Blood” visual — was not nominated for any Moonmen this year, though her clips for “Wildest Dreams” and “Out of the Woods” (off her blockbuster 1989 album) were both eligible.

While neither video is up for an award, the award show is still technically honoring Swift, 26, if you consider her contributions to ex-beau Calvin HarrisRihanna-assisted hit “This Is What You Came For,” which is nominated for Best Collaboration. The “Shake It Off” hitmaker secretly sang on the track and wrote it under the pseudonym Nils Sjoberg.

Related: PHOTOS: Taylor Swift's Red Carpet Style Evolution

Despite her lack of nominations, the Grammy winner never planned on attending this year’s show. Though fans will undoubtedly miss Swift’s presence on Sunday night, the highly anticipated event is shaping up to be one of MTV’s most epic yet.

As Us Weekly previously reported on Thursday, August 25, artists such as Kanye West, Beyoncé and Rihanna have big plans in store. 

West, 39 — who was presented with the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award by his sometime enemy  Swift at the 2015 VMAs — will most likely perform “Famous,” the controversial song in which he takes credit for the “Blank Space” songstress’ fame. The video for the NSFW tune — featuring nude lookalikes of Swift, West, Kim Kardashian and others sleeping in bed — is nominated in several categories, including the coveted Video of the Year award.

Related: PHOTOS: The Wildest, Most Iconic MTV VMAs Moments of All Time

In addition to Yeezy’s performance, multiple sources confirm to Us that Queen Bey, 34, will light up the VMAs stage as well. And just when music fans thought it couldn’t get any better: RiRi, who will receive the Video Vanguard Award this year, is set to sing “several songs throughout the show,” a source tells Us.

Confirmed performers for the show include Rihanna, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj and Future. The 2016 MTV Video Music Awards will air on MTV Sunday, August 28, at 9 p.m. ET.

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