Taylor Swift, Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter were among the big stars who attended the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, but there were some notable names absent from the event.
The annual VMAs took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 27, with Swift, 36, receiving the first Artist Director Honors award, as well as Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia.” Madonna, 68, meanwhile, was named Artist of the Year.
“I’ve gotten to be a part of making 60 music videos, roughly … 18 of those I wrote and directed, and I really love writing and directing music,” Swift said while accepting her special award. “I got to tell you, though, the main reason why I love writing and directing music videos so much is because you, the fans, make it so much fun. You make it so rewarding because you actually care about what we’re making. So, you know, I want to say thank you to everyone who ever worked on a music video that I got to be a part of. I learned something from every single person that ever worked alongside me on these projects. Mainly, I want to say thank you to the fans.”
While Swift was on hand Sunday night, she did not have husband Travis Kelce on her arm.
Keep scrolling to see which stars missed Sunday’s VMAs — and why:
Travis Kelce
Kelce, 36, was notably absent for his wife’s big moment on Sunday, but he had a good excuse. The football player and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates faced the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 of the current NFL season.
The Chiefs won 24 to 10 against the Dolphins at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Ariana Grande
Grande’s “Hate That I Made You Love Me” won Song of the Summer at the 2026 MTV VMAs, but the singer and actress was not on hand to receive the award after announcing a break from the spotlight in August.
Grande’s representative confirmed last month that she would “step back” from the public eye after her Eternal Sunshine Tour, which wrapped on September 1 in London.
“She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny,” her spokesperson said.
Zara Larsson
Larsson was nominated for five awards alongside PinkPantheress for their hit song “Stateside,” winning Best Art Direction. While PinkPantheress accepted the award, Larsson was onstage performing at the Portola Music Festival in San Francisco.
Shakira
The Colombian singer is currently performing a 12-night residency in Madrid, Spain, as part of her Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran World Tour.
Shakira was nominated for three awards on Sunday, including Best Collaboration with Burna Boy for “Dai Dai,” the theme song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Harry Styles
Two-time nominee Harry Styles took a well-earned break from his 30-night Together, Together residency at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Styles performed on Friday, September 25, and Saturday, September 26. His next show is on Wednesday, September 30.
Katseye
The girl group of the moment performed two songs on the Saturday Night Live season 52 premiere in New York City the night before the VMAs. No reason has been given for the girls’ Sunday no-show, but they did just recently wrap up a multi-date European tour. The chart-toppers are set to begin the North American leg of their Wildworld Tour in Miami on October 13.
