We are all over
New York City tonight,
from Brooklyn and the Bronx
to the center of it all,
the world-famous
Empire State Building,
right here
in the heart of Manhattan.
This is incredible.
I can't believe MTV asked me
to host.
I don't if I was
their first choice,
or the only one brave enough
to do it during COVID.
Either way,
I got the job, loves!
But it's not all different
this year.
One of the coolest part
of the VMAs
is that we have the best fans
in the world.
And guess what.
They're here tonight.
Let me hear you
make some noise!
[cheers and applause]
I gotta say it.
2020 has undoubtedly been
a rough year for everybody,
and I'm not just talking
about my edges.
In fact,
when something goes wrong,
I just say, "2020!"
But as rough as it's been,
there have been
incredible moments
of inspiration
that have given
my generation hope.
I mean, we've seen heroes go
above and beyond,
whether they drive
a delivery truck,
work at a grocery store,
or serve on the frontlines
in a hospital.
And with the Black Lives Matter
movement,
we've seen our generation
step up,
take to the streets,
and make sure
our voices will be heard.
Enough is enough.
What we just witnessed
in Kenosha, Wisconsin,
is yet another
devastating reminder
that we can't stop,
that we can never tolerate
police brutality
or any injustice.
We must continue the fight
to end systemic racism.
The leaders of that movement
are you.
Us, the people
watching tonight.
It's our time to be the change
we wanna see.
We need to come together,
and music,
music has that power.
Music can help us heal.
It's all love, and that's
what tonight is about.
We are making
the impossible possible,
pushing the boundaries
of music performances
because that's what we do
on the VMAs.
We've got the biggest stars
in music.
Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande.
Doja Cat.
Black Eyed Peas.
Miley Cyrus.
Maluma.
CNCO.
And for the first time ever,
BTS at the VMAs.
