Why did Lady Gaga abruptly leave 2025 MTV Video Music Awards? Here's what went wrong
Lady Gaga won the Artist of the Year at the 2025 MTV VMAs but had to leave early for a performance in New York City. She won four awards during the ceremony.
At the 2025 MTV VMAs, Lady Gaga abruptly left the stage shortly after taking home one of the biggest awards of the evening.

The 39-year-old singer told the applauding audience as she stepped onto the stage to claim the Artist of the Year award that she had to depart immediately before the ceremony ended.
Gaga, who was named the first Moon Person of the evening, clarified that she was traveling to her sold-out performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City, which is 20 miles from the VMAs venue at UBS Arena in Elmont, New York.
“I wish I could stay and watch all these amazing performances but I have to go back to Madison Square Garden,” she told the audience, as per Daily Mail. “Love you. Thank you.”
She concluded her moving statement by dedicating the award to her fiancé, Michael Polansky.
During her Saturday night performance at MSG, Gaga pre-recorded her performance for the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.
She is now on tour to promote her album Mayhem, traveling to several American and Canadian locations before going across the pond to perform in the UK and Europe.
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All about Lady Gaga's award
She received 12 nominations for the most distinctions of the evening, including the top prize of Video Of The Year for her duet with Bruno Mars, "Dying With A Smile."
At Sunday night's presentation, Gaga won four MTV VMA Awards: Best Direction, Best Art Direction, Best Collaboration for Die With A Smile with Bruno Mars, and Artist of the Year.
Gaga has already won eighteen VMA awards. Sje has also been at the top of MTV's list of VMA nominees for the third consecutive year.
She tied for first place with nine nominations overall in 2020 after previously topping the list with 13 nominations in 2010.
Bruno Mars, the Bad Romance hitmaker's collaborator, has eleven nominations, followed by Kendrick Lamar, who has ten, for third place.
ABOUT THE AUTHORShweta KukretiShweta Kukreti has over 8 years of experience in covering Indian and world politics. She joined the Hindustan Times in 2024 and is primarily assigned to the US desk. She currently works as Deputy Chief Content Producer and reports on a wide range of topics, including US politics, immigration issues (especially H-1B visa) and major global events. Shweta strongly emphasizes team operations, which encompasses monitoring news, delegating tasks, editing, developing comprehensive coverage strategies, and crafting engaging, and data-informed narratives. She received the Digi Star Award at the Hindustan Times within a year of joining for her broad coverage of US politics. In 2025, she earned both a promotion and a redesignation, a significant achievement recognising her contributions and the strong value she brings to the team. She has previously worked with the Indian Express, HTDS, ANI and Republic World. Seniors in all the media organisations recognised her work. Regarding education, she earned a BA (Hons.) in Political Science and a master's degree from Delhi University, and she pursued a PG Diploma in English Journalism from the Indian Institution of Mass Communication (IIMC). She also holds a diploma in Women's Empowerment and Development from IGNOU University and a French certification course from Alliance Française de Delhi. If not working, you can find her exploring the hills and engaging in adventurous activities in Rishikesh and Himachal Pradesh. She loves to play badminton, volleyball, and chess, and spend time with her friends and family. She also enjoys spiritual activities.Read More

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