Mariah Carey Scores Career First at VMAs 29 Years After Her First Nomination

It seems impossible that Mariah Carey hasn’t won at the MTV Video Music Awards, but that changed tonight.

No, seriously, the singer never won until now. No awards for “Sweet Fantasy,” “Always Be My Baby,” or any of her other massive hits. Tonight, she finally made her “lambs” proud when she won best R&B video for her recent song “Type Dangerous.”

She beat out competitors like Chris Brown (“Residuals”), Leon Thomas and Freddie Gibbs (“Mutt – Remix”), The Weeknd and Playboi Carti (“Timeless”), PartyNextDoor (“No Chill”), Summer Walker (“Heart of a Woman”), and SZA (“Drive”).

Mariah Carey's acceptance speech for 'Type Dangerous' winning Best R&B Song at tonight's #VMAs. pic.twitter.com/41ywq8Z4em

— Fan | Mariah Carey Charts (@chartmariah) September 7, 2025

The five-time Grammy winner is also set to perform a medley of her biggest hits at the award ceremony, taking place at UBS Arena in New York City, later in the night.

She is also set to receive the ceremony’s highest honor, the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, later in the evening. It will honor her impact on music videos and pop culture at large.

The performance and Video Vanguard acceptance will be her first time at the VMAs in over 20 years.

Famously, Carey presented the Video Vanguard award to LL Cool J in 1997. Now, LL Cool J is hosting the VMAs, and he will present the same award to Carey.