The MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs) have long been a stage where music’s biggest stars converge, but the 2025 edition—held on September 7 in Elmont, New York—was just as notable for who was absent as for who took the spotlight. Despite a strong lineup of performances from the likes of Lady Gaga, Mariah Carey, Sabrina Carpenter with Drag Race icons, and Tate McRae, a handful of high-profile nominees, including Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Shakira, Gracie Abrams, and Addison Rae, were nowhere to be seen. Their absence sparked questions and conversations across the music world, with each star’s story painting a unique portrait of today’s pop landscape.
Perhaps the most surprising no-show was Taylor Swift. Nominated for Artist of the Year—a coveted prize that ultimately went to Lady Gaga—Swift kept a characteristically low profile. According to reporting by The Tab, her absence followed a period of relative quiet since announcing her engagement to NFL star Travis Kelce. With her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, set for release on October 3, 2025, fans and industry watchers alike are speculating that her next public appearance will be tied to a major musical comeback. In a year when Lady Gaga managed to both attend and perform at the VMAs before heading to Madison Square Garden for her Mayhem tour later that night, Swift’s decision to skip the ceremony left many wondering about her next move.
Charli XCX, another major contender with five nominations, also opted out of the VMAs for the fourth consecutive year. Her absence didn’t go unnoticed, especially given her nominations spanned both major and technical categories: Best Pop Artist and four nods for her collaboration with Billie Eilish on the song “Guess” (Video For Good, Best Direction, Best Art Direction, and Best Editing). As reported by The Tab and corroborated by multiple entertainment outlets, “Guess” ultimately won the Video For Good award. Still, Charli was busy elsewhere—spotted at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 6, promoting her upcoming films Sacrifice and Erupcja, and attending a Gucci event tied to her cinematic ventures. It’s clear her focus was firmly on her burgeoning film career, at least for this awards cycle.
Charli’s absence wasn’t just a scheduling fluke; she hasn’t attended the VMAs since 2021. In an interview with Culted earlier this year, she reflected on the unexpected success of her album Brat and the lack of pressure she now feels to repeat that triumph. “I don’t really feel the pressure to create another record like Brat because when I was making it, even though I really believed in it and totally knew what I wanted to do with it, I had no idea how it would be received,” she said. “I was really doing it for myself and marketing it in the way I wanted to for myself but I had no clue that people would kind of connect to it in the way that they did. So yeah, I don’t really feel the pressure because I feel that you can never really do the same thing twice, and my next record will probably be a flop, which I’m down for to be honest.” She even offered advice to her younger self: “I’d be like, ‘hey, don’t worry about it. Just do what you think is cool. And that is the coolest thing. And just chill out a bit and don’t be so anxious.’”
Shakira, meanwhile, was another big winner who couldn’t make it to the show. The Latin superstar, who had made a memorable impression at the 2023 VMAs by accepting the Vanguard award, was this year’s recipient of another honor. But as reported by The Tab, she was in Guadalajara, Mexico, performing as part of her global tour. Scheduling conflicts like these are nothing new for artists of her caliber, but her absence was still felt, especially by fans who remember her electrifying presence on the VMA stage just two years prior.
Up-and-comer Gracie Abrams was also on the list of notable absentees. Nominated for Song of the Year for “That’s So True,” she ultimately lost out to Bruno Mars and Rosé for their hit “APT.” The Tab speculated that Abrams may have been decompressing from a hectic summer of touring, including a major set at Glastonbury, or possibly supporting her partner, Paul Mescal, who was busy promoting his new film Hamnet at TIFF. Mescal’s own presence at the Toronto festival, rather than the VMAs, highlighted the growing intersection between film and music celebrity circuits—a trend evident in Charli XCX’s own career moves.
Addison Rae, who’s been vocal about her desire for greater industry recognition, was another artist who didn’t make it to the VMAs. Nominated for Song of the Summer with “Headphones On,” Rae was instead performing in Berlin as part of her tour. Her absence wasn’t due to bitterness, she clarified in an interview with Zane Lowe, but she did express some disappointment: “Not everybody was gonna accept it and enjoy it, but I think I will never let that change the way I view creating, and making music videos or making songs and putting out different organisations of music and groups of creative decisions. It definitely is funny whenever you feel like you put in a lot of work into something and it doesn’t get recognised by some place that you feel like you were contributing to.” Still, Rae insisted she would continue to pursue her passion for music regardless of awards show outcomes.
All of this raises a question: What does it mean when so many of music’s biggest stars skip one of the industry’s most visible events? Is it a sign of shifting priorities, or simply the result of packed schedules and new creative ventures? For Charli XCX, the answer seems to lie in a desire to chart her own course, both musically and professionally. For Taylor Swift, it may be a matter of timing and personal focus. For others like Shakira and Addison Rae, it’s the demands of touring and the realities of a global music business that never slows down.
Despite the absences, the 2025 VMAs still managed to deliver memorable moments and celebrate the achievements of those who did attend. Lady Gaga’s double-duty performance, Mariah Carey’s medley, and Sabrina Carpenter’s show-stopping set with Drag Race royalty kept the energy high. But the empty seats left by some of the year’s most talked-about artists served as a reminder that, in today’s music world, the biggest stories often happen offstage.
As the dust settles on another VMAs, fans and industry insiders alike will be watching to see when—and how—these absent stars make their next moves. With new albums, tours, and film projects on the horizon, there’s little doubt that their stories are far from over.
