Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter opened the VMAs together, and they did not leave empty-handed.
“Bring Your Love” won Best Collaboration at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards, giving the pair a Moon Person for a song that already felt engineered to unite two generations of pop fans.
Still, seeing them standing together with the award makes the whole thing feel much more real.
This was bigger than a cute pop-star pairing
Madonna returned to the VMA stage for her first performance at the show in 23 years. Sabrina joined her during the opening, and later the two accepted Best Collaboration together.
That is a very efficient evening.
The pairing works because neither of them disappears next to the other. Madonna gets to be fully Madonna, Sabrina gets to be fully Sabrina, and “Bring Your Love” somehow makes both of those things make sense in the same song.
This win also gives the show’s opening number a perfect little ending. They started the night together, then came back to the microphone together with an astronaut in hand.
Madonna returned after 23 years, opened the show, and made room beside her for Sabrina. That is a night.
