Ariana Grande reacts to VMAs win from home amid her break from spotlight

Ariana Grande won two out of the eight categories she was nominated for at the 2026 MTV VMAs, but she wasn’t there to accept the award.

On Sunday, September 27, the pop icon won Song of the Summer and Best Visual Effects for her song hate that i made you love me from her latest album petal.

Grande celebrated the win from back home, writing on Instagram, “Thank you so so much for making ‘hate that i made you love me’ song of the summer, for best visual effects & thank you @mtv for recognizing us again!!!”

The 33-year-old went on to congratulate Christian Breslauer, her longtime collaborator and director of the hate that i made you love me music video, which Grande dubbed as “one of my favorite videos we’ve ever made.”

Grande’s absence from the awards wasn’t surprising, given her previously-announced break from the spotlight following the conclusion of her eternal sunshine tour last month.

Her rep told People magazine that “Ariana will be taking a step back from visibility” for a “much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny.”

The Wicked star further told fans, “It is something that I have decided; it’s a plan that I had quietly made a long time ago, and it’s a decision that was made from a thoughtful and empowered place.”