It took Mariah Carey up until 2025 to take home an MTV Video Music Award. Despite being the recipient of the 2025 Vanguard Award, it marked the first night the Queen of Christmas took home a moonman.
Ever the shade queen, Carey made her angst known. She wasted no time calling the award show out several times throughout the night, and beforehand.
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“My first moonman, ever, period, this is kind of heavy,” she said during her pre-award speech when accepting an award for her single “Type Dangerous,” winning in the category of Best R&B Song. “Thank you so much MTV. This is amazing. I don’t know why you took so long for it to happen, but, just kidding.”
It wasn’t her first of the night. Later on, while accepting the iconic Lifetime Achievement Award, she threw more shade. After being handed the award from Ariana Grande, Carey reflected on her career and MTV’s role, or lack thereof at times.
“Thank you very much MTV for giving me the vanguard award. I can’t believe I’m getting my first VMA tonight. I just have one question: What in the Sam hell were you waiting for?” she asked. “I’m kidding I love you MTV, I love you, I love you, thank you so much.” She also noted the moment was seemingly full-circle, remembering a moment with the evening’s host, rapper and actor LL Cool J. “Being here brings back so many memories like when I presented LL Cool J with his vanguard award,” she recalled. “Or, when Whitney Houston and I opened the show with a faux stand off,” she said the year they performed their duet, “When You Believe.”
Aside from her two wins this year, Carey has been nominated for a total of 9 VMAs. Her first came in 1996 for Best R&B Video thanks to “One Sweet Day,” her duet with Boyz II Men.
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