Taylor Swift Dedicates Major VMAs Award to Unexpected Person While Making History
Taylor Swift Dedicates Major VMAs Award to Unexpected Person While Making History
Christina PerrierMon, September 28, 2026 at 2:19 AM UTC
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Taylor Swift accepts an award at the MTV VMAs on September 27, 2026.Credit: Getty ImagesThe Gist -
Taylor Swift gave an emotional speech while accepting the award for Video of the Year at the MTV VMAs on September 27.
During her remarks, she shouted out a surprising person.
Swift is nominated for a total of nine awards tonight.
Taylor Swift just accepted the award for Video of the Year for “The Fate of Ophelia”at the VMAs 2026—making her the most awarded artist in the show’s history—and her speech basically doubled as a tribute to a very special soul: Dolly Parton. Swift ascended the stage in her dazzling Tamara Ralph fall/winter 2026 couture gown to give her remarks and express gratitude for the trailblazer who came before her.
Swift started by expressing love to her fans: “Thank you so much for giving this award to this video. I’m so proud of it. To the fans, thank you for voting on it,” she said before moving on to the “most important” part.
Taylor Swift accepts an award at the MTV VMAs on September 27, 2026.Credit: Getty Images
“I want to thank and dedicate this award to one person without whom this wouldn’t be happening, and that person is the ultimate showgirl Dolly Parton,” she continued. “Every single song that she wrote, her storytelling was so vivid and so rich. Listening to her songs is like watching the best music video you have ever seen in your life every single time you hear what she has written. She handled this thing with such grace and joy and love and gratitude for the fact that she got to do this. Everything that happened in her life or her career she channeled back into love and gratitude and appreciation for her fans.”
Swift concluded her speech with: “I am lucky I got to be one of them, and I will always be one of them. I love you all so very much. We were all very lucky to share this planet with Dolly Parton for a time. Thank you for this amazing moment. I love you all.”
Taylor Swift accepts the Video of the Year award at the VMAs 2026Credit: Getty
It’s a big night for the music mogul, who is nominated for a total of nine awards. In addition to Video of the Year, she received nods for Artist of the Year, Best Pop, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Choreography, and Best Visual Effects. She is also the first-ever recipient of the MTV Artist Director award, which, per MTV, recognizes artists “whose directorial work has advanced the art of music video and storytelling.”
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Swift is unsurprisingly dressed like a winner: She accented her gown, which featured a black halter bodice with a sheer lace-up back and silver glitter-coated skirt, with sparkly strappy silver heels and layers of diamonds. She styled her new short haircut down in a blowout, while glamming up with a light dusting of rosy pink blush and a coral-hued lip.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce in New York City on May 15, 2026.Credit: Getty Images
Swift seemed to feel all the love tonight, surrounded by her fans, industry peers, and her “Patient Zero” music video co-star Dakota Johnson. Swift’s hubby Travis Kelce, however, was sadly absent from the show, as the NFL star had a Chiefs game against the Miami Dolphins in Florida today. The athlete was there in spirit, though, as Swift wore her wedding ring stack loud and proud.
This comes just a week after Swift went viral for her adorable celebration to Kelce scoring his first touchdown of the season during the Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts game on September 20. She screamed “That’s my husband” while pointing to her ring stack.
Taylor Swift attends Travis Kelce’s Kansas City Chiefs vs. Indianapolis Colts game on September 20, 2026.Credit: Getty Images
Days later, Kelce reacted to the moment on his and his brother Jason Kelce’s joint podcast, “New Heights.” “Just doing my deed as a husband,” Travis said during the September 23 episode. “Listen, man, proud wife, baby. Gotta make my girl proud.” The same day, Swift announced The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, the deluxe version of her 2025 album. Among the new tracks was a song called “Cleveland!” which likely refers to Kelce’s hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio.
on InStyle
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
