Taylor Swift took home the most coveted award of the evening at the MTV Video Music Awards on Wednesday, breaking several records with her victory. The superstar won Video of the Year for her song “Fortnight” with Post Malone.
Swift won seven VMAs this year, bringing her total to 30, tying her with Beyoncé for the most VMA wins of all time.
After being presented with the trophy by VMA host Megan Thee Stallion, Swift took the stage to thank her fans and everyone who helped bring the music video to life, including Post Malone, Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles (who made cameo appearances in the video), cinematographer/DP Rodrigo Prieto and production designer Ethan Tobman.
“Directing this video, putting it together and writing the script was the most wonderful experience. And that’s because of all the people I got to do it with,” she said in her acceptance speech. “Even though the video seems very sad when you watch it, it was actually the most fun video to make.”
Swift also praised a special person in her life who was always on set while filming the music video and cheered her on between takes.
“I’ll always remember when I finished a take and said ‘cut’ and we were done with that take, I would always hear someone cheering from across the studio where we were shooting. And that one person was my friend Travis (Kelce),” the singer added, prompting screams from the audience. “Everything that man touches turns into happiness, fun and magic, so I want to thank him for bringing that to our shoot.”
Swift concluded by saying, “I always try to thank the fans for making my life what it is, for making the Eras Tour what it is, for The “Tortured Poets” section what it’s become. It’s all thanks to you guys for doing this and voting for this award. … I really appreciate it.”
Swift broke several records with her Video of the Year win, including extending her record as the most-awarded artist in the category. She had previously won for “Bad Blood,” “You Need to Calm Down,” “All Too Well: The Short Film,” and “Anti-hero.”
She also became the first artist to win the VMA for Video of the Year three years in a row, winning the award last year for “Anti-hero” and in 2022 for “All Too Well: The Short Film.”
The “Cruel Summer” artist is also known for directing several of her music videos over the years. With her Video of the Year win for “Fortnight,” she extended her record as the artist with the most wins in the category for videos she directed or co-directed. Swift directed or co-directed all of her previous videos for “You Need to Calm Down,” “All Too Well: The Short Film,” and “Anti-hero.”
Swift beat Ariana Grande with “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love),” Billie Eilish with “LUNCH,” Doja Cat with “Paint The Town Red,” Eminem with “Houdini,” and SZA with “Snooze.”
Earlier that evening, the singer had accepted her award for best collaboration with her “Fortnight” collaborator Post Malone. On the 23rd anniversary of the attacks, she briefly recalled the tragedy of the terrorist attacks of September 11: “Everything that happened tonight is much worse.”
Overall, it was a triumphant year for Swift, who not only won the Grammy for Album of the Year, midnight At the beginning of the year she also released her eleventh studio album The “Tortured Poets” sectionwhich topped the Billboard 200 chart for 15 consecutive weeks. She’s also been busy performing for fans around the world on her Eras tour, which concludes in North America later this year.
The 2024 VMAs, hosted by Megan Thee Stallion, took place Wednesday night at the UBS Arena on Long Island. The full list of winners can be found here and all the red carpet looks can be found here.
