MADONNA and Taylor Swift were major winners at the MTV Video Music Awards — and champion divas.
won seven awards, including Artist of the Year, while Taylor made history.
opened the show in Los Angeles with eight minutes of Bring Your Love and Danceteria with guests and .
But, after refusing to pose on the red carpet, she insisted only approved snappers could take pics of her performance, which at one point saw her apparently dropped by her backing dancers.
Meanwhile won three prizes including Video of the Year for The Fate Of Ophelia.
It made her the most-decorated act in VMA history with 33 gongs, overtaking .
But, in prima donna-esque fashion, she only spent a total of 15 minutes inside the auditorium at the Peacock Theater.
She waited until the red carpet was closed before having her photo taken at 4.20pm, ten minutes before the ceremony started, then did not enter the main room until 5.54pm.
Minutes later she accepted the Artist Director Honor and premiered the video to her new single Patient Zero before exiting the stage.
Taylor, in a sheer corset top and silver skirt, returned at 6.45pm to collect Video of the Year, before leaving again.
A source said: “Madonna and Taylor are the most powerful women in music so what they say goes, and MTV were happy to accommodate their every want and need.
“Madonna made it clear she wanted to look her best, so organisers made sure no photos were published which she didn’t feel comfortable with.
“Taylor’s team insisted she didn’t want to distract from the other artists by being in the room all night, so decided to watch much of the ceremony backstage instead.”
Madonna wore a corseted bodysuit and a £2million diamond necklace while collecting her awards.
Watched by a star-studded audience including and , she said bizarrely: “I would like to thank my fingers because I can always count on them.”
She also picked up the Best Collaboration prize with Sabrina for their single Bring Your Love — and criticised the youngster’s team for not getting back to her promptly while she pitched the idea.
Sabrina said: “My team is s****ing themselves backstage.”
The ceremony is available to stream on Paramount+ and will air again on MTV UK at 11pm tonight and 7pm on Friday.
A good night, Sienna
became the first British solo star to win the Best New Artist award.
And she received a standing ovation for her performance of her No1 hit Great Expectation at the event.
Sienna, 21, from London, got teary as she accepted the award.
She said: “Wow, thank- you so much. Oh, my God. And this is so heavy. I didn’t think this would happen.
“I just have to say thank you so much. Thank you to the fans and the people that voted for me. I love you. I can’t believe this. I actually can’t believe this.”
Bath-born singer and producer PinkPantheress, 25, real name Victoria Beverley Walker, was the other British winner of the night as she collected the Best Art Direction award for her Stateside collaboration with Zara Larsson.
Homage to Dolly
was remembered during the ceremony, where her close friend and fellow country star Kacey Musgraves, 38, gave a powerful performance of I Will Always Love You.
The Jolene singer died last month aged 80 from cancer. Taylor Swift, 36, dedicated her Video of the Year gong to her.
She said: “Every single song that she wrote, her storytelling, was so vivid and so rich.”
KURT HAILED BY NIRVANA
NIRVANA paid tribute to as they reunited to receive the ceremony’s highest honour.
Rockers Krist Novoselic, 61, Pat Smear, 67, and Dave Grohl, 57 — won the Video Vanguard Award.
The grunge band’s lead singer died from suicide in 1994, aged 27.
But bassist Krist told fans: “The ideas for those videos all grew out of the vision of one of the greatest artists of all time, Kurt Cobain.”
He added: “Nirvana continues to resonate deeply because people are still hungry for authenticity.
“Something that tells you it’s just okay to come as you are.
“Kurt would have loved that legacy. Thank you.”
George tribute’s gay pride
MTV bowed to a gay backlash by turning a tribute into a celebration of queer singers.
The broadcaster’s decision to give straight artists Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims lead roles had sparked unrest among some fans.
But organisers got it right on the night as it celebrated a decade since George’s death, aged 53.
Queer artists including and Brits MNEK, Meek and Saint Harison took to the stage to sing his hit Freedom ’90 — and quell protests.
Sombr, 21, was retained to sing Faith and Father Figure, while Raye, 28, took on I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me) and 34-year-old Swims covered the gay music great’s 1984 chart-topper, Careless Whisper.
