Katy Perry’s ‘sex moves’ to pop star who jiggled co-host’s boob on-stage – how VMAs became world’s filthiest award show
LAST night, Katy Perry shocked the world with a VERY racy routine at the Video Music Awards.
Her dance with rapper Doechii, 26, was likened by stunned fans to ‘sex moves’ as they performed their single I’m His, He’s Mine.
Katy, 39, held nothing back as she gyrated around her co-star as fiancé Orlando Bloom, 47, looked on bemused.
But the rest of the audience weren’t shocked, as the MTV ceremony has established itself as the filthiest in the business, with the antics it broadcasts getting more and more raunchy.
Since the VMAs started in 1984 at Radio City Music Hall, acts and hosts have steadily pushed the boundaries of what is acceptable.
Here, we look back at the raunchiest moments from the show’s history.
The infamous kiss
One of the most iconic moments ever from the VMAs was when Madonna, 66, kissed Britney Spears, 42, back in 2003.
They locked lips after performing a version of the Queen of Pop’s hit Like A Virgin.
Madonna then turned and kissed Christina Aguilera, 43, as well, but this wasn’t shown for long as cameras panned to the audience to see the reaction.
The smooch became an iconic pop culture moment, with Britney even being quizzed about it by Oprah Winfrey.
Despite some backlash for the kissing, former MTV president Van Toffler was thrilled to have broadcast it.
He told Rolling Stone: “It didn’t make life easier that night, but you have to make choices in a live show. Sometimes you’re wrong and sometimes you’re right, but I think the beauty of the VMAs was the combustibility. You wanted to make it fun and semi-chaotic. That’s what we did.”
Alien smooch
While Katy Perry’s antics have been the headline dominator from this year’s ceremony, Sabrina Carpenter, 25, also pushed the raunchy boat out.
As part of her performance of Taste, she had a dancer dressed as an alien alongside another dressed as an astronaut.
She then split the pair up and proceeded to make out with the blue extra-terrestrial herself.
Fans were left thrilled at the “iconic” performance, and claimed they had been constantly watching it on a loop since it happened.
Sabrina then went on to win Song of the Year for Espresso.
Boob jiggle
It’s not just the performers who happily play up for the cameras, but the presenters too.
Back in 1999 the world was left shocked when Diana Ross, 80, jiggled co-host Lil’ Kim‘s breast after joining her on-stage.
The rapper had opted to leave her left boob exposed, with nothing but a pasty covering her nipple.
Both women laughed at their antics before hugging and going on to present the award for best hip-hop video.
The moment ensured that everyone knew who Lil’ Kim, 50, was, and she considers it her most iconic moment.
Snake charmer
Britney Spears shocked the world prior to the iconic Madonna kiss with her VMAs performance when she danced with a snake in next to nothing for a rendition of I’m A Slave For You.
Wearing a barely there top and tiny shorts, surrounded by similarly scantily clad dancers, she writhed to the pop track before having a snake placed around her neck.
The use of the reptile in her performance left PETA furious, but fans utterly delighted.
And Megan Thee Stallion, 29, even recreated the moment at this year’s VMAs, but she was much more afraid of the snake than Britney.
Blurred lines
One of the award show’s most controversial performances was with Robin Thicke, 47, and Miley Cyrus, 31.
They did an incredibly sexed up version of Robin’s controversial hit song Blurred Lines which had been slammed by many as being about non-consensual sex.
Miley stripped down to a nude bikini and foam finger when she was joined on stage by Robin, before proceeding to twerk and grind on his nether regions.
Cameras panning the audience showed Rihanna and the members of One Direction appearing to look horrified at the performance.
VMA 2024 winners
- Video Of The Year: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – Fortnight
- Artist Of The Year: Taylor Swift
- Best Pop: Taylor Swift
- Best Collaboration: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – Fortnight
- Best Direction: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – Fortnight
- Best Editing: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – Fortnight
- Song Of Summer: Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone – Fortnight
- Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award: Katy Perry
- Song Of The Year: Sabrina Carpenter – Espresso
- Best New Artist: Chappell Roan
- Best Latin: Anitta – Mil Veces
- Best Afrobeats: Tyla – Water
- Best K-Pop: Lisa – Rockstar
She has since expressed regret for the heavily sexualised show she put on back in 2013.
“It became something that was expected of me,” she’s told Harper’s Bazaar in 2017.
“I didn’t want to show up to photo shoots and be the girl who would get my [breasts] out and stick out my tongue.
“In the beginning, it was kind of like saying, ‘[Screw] you. Girls should be able to have this freedom or whatever.’ But it got to a point where I did feel sexualised.”
Mad for it
The inaugural VMAs back in 1984 saw Madonna give the first ever raunchy performance with Like A Virgin.
Madge opted to wear a wedding dress with a buckle emblazoned Boy Toy, as she belted out the hit.
She eventually plopped onto the stage before acting like she was having sex with the floor.
Back then she wasn’t known as the Queen of Pop and the risqué routine ensured every music journalist and fan knew exactly who she was.
She also flashed the audience her knickers after getting a stiletto stuck in the massive wedding cake prop.
“So I thought, ‘Well, I’ll just pretend I meant to do this,’ and I dove on the floor and I rolled around,” Madonna told Jay Leno in 2012. “And, as I reached for the shoe, the dress went up. And the underpants were showing.”
Baring all
Prince has never been known as the shy and retiring type, but fans were shocked when he opted for a suit bearing his buttocks in 1991.
His seven-minute long performance in the yellow outfit also saw him act out 23 positions that could be used in a one-night stand.
However, his stylist later revealed that the flesh you saw on his bottom was actually fabric that had been selected because it matched Prince’s skin tone.
Around him, dancers were placed in provocative sex positions, and it helped to cement the VMAs as one of the naughtiest ceremonies around.
Strap in
Rapper Normani, 28, is yet another act that couldn’t help but make her VMAs show extremely sexual.
At the end of her 2021 performance of hit Get Wild, she proceeded to wheel out singer Teyana Taylor strapped to a contraption.
She then ran her hand over the artist’s body, then climbed up before twerked all over Teyana.
Fans went wild for the raunchy performance, branding it “incredible” and “show stealing”.