Charlamagne Tha God was caught off guard by Madonna leading the 2026 MTV VMA field, openly questioning what earned the pop icon a career-best 11 nominations.
Charlamagne Tha God had questions when Madonna’s 11 VMA nominations came up during the August 19 episode of The Breakfast Club. As co-host Loren LoRosa ran through the pop legend’s showing at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, Charlamagne immediately responded, “For what?”
According to Complex, Charlamagne was also surprised to hear about Madonna’s Sabrina Carpenter collaboration, “Bring Your Love,” saying, “I didn’t even know they had a song.” He then joked, “How old are the people at MTV that they’re still nominating Madonna?”
DJ Envy suggested Madonna may simply have strong songs and visuals in contention, but Charlamagne remained skeptical about the scale of the recognition. “I would think if Madonna had a album that was worthy of eleven nominations, I feel like we would have known about it,” he said during the discussion.
The nominations themselves put Madonna at the top of a crowded 2026 field. She earned 11 nods, including Video of the Year for Confessions II – The Film, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year, while Taylor Swift follows with nine nominations and Ariana Grande and Sabrina Carpenter have seven apiece.
Madonna’s showing is also a personal VMA milestone. The 11 nominations are her career high, and they arrive decades after she became one of the awards show’s defining stars, including her famous 1984 “Like a Virgin” performance and her 1986 Video Vanguard honor.
The debate will ultimately move from the nomination list to the ceremony next month. The 2026 MTV VMAs are scheduled for September 27 in Los Angeles, with fan voting open in 13 categories through September 25 as Madonna looks to add to her long history with the awards.
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