What happened
Taylor Swift won video of the year and six other awards at last night's MTV Video Music Awards, leaving her with 30 total VMA trophies, tied with Beyoncé's as MTV's most-awarded artist. Sabrina Carpenter won song of the year for "Espresso," Katy Perry received the Video Vanguard Award and Chappell Roan was named best new artist.
Who said what
Swift used her first acceptance speech to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying honoring "everyone that we lost" is "the most important thing about today. And everything that happens tonight falls behind that." She also thanked her fans for voting for her and called on those 18 and older to "please register to vote for something else that's very important," the 2024 presidential election.
Swift did not mention Kamala Harris, whom she endorsed after Tuesday night's debate. But "in a political landscape with countless celebrity endorsements that do little to prompt would-be voters into action," The New York Times said, Swift's support "stands out as among the most meaningful." Donald Trump told Fox News yesterday morning he "was not a Taylor Swift fan" and "she'll probably pay a price for it in the marketplace" for endorsing his rival.
What next?
The U.S. General Services Administration said that by Wednesday afternoon, Vote.gov had received 337,826 visitors "referred from the custom URL created and shared by Ms. Swift" in her Instagram message endorsing Harris. The nonprofit voter-registration site Vote.org told CNN that its traffic had jumped 585% during the debate and in the hours afterward. "Taylor Swift's impact on voter engagement is undeniable," said Vote.org CEO Andrea Hailey.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
How is Chili's saving casual dining? Could others follow?Today's Big Question Value and TikTok virality bring in the diners
-
NASA is abandoning the climateThe Explainer Climate missions could be going dark
-
Every MCU movie since 'Avengers: Endgame,' rankedThe Week Recommends How did the recent 'Fantastic Four: First Steps' stack up?
-
Hot for summer with these 10 tours from some of music's best artistsThe Week Recommends Get ready for sing-along sunshine
-
10 upcoming albums to stream on the beach this summerThe Week Recommends Ring in the sunshine with a selection of new albums
-
10 upcoming albums to stream in the hazy springThe Week Recommends Ring in the end of the cold weather with some new music
-
10 concert tours to see this springThe Week Recommends As winter comes to an end, check out a variety of live performances
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top GrammysSpeed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
Beyoncé's record-breaking night at the GrammysTalking Point Long-denied Album of the Year win rights a 'historic sense of grievance'
-
The best new music of 2024 by genreThe Week Recommends Outstanding albums, from pop to electro and classical
-
2024: the year of Black country artistsIn the Spotlight Beyoncé debuted 'Cowboy Carter' at the top of the country charts, shining a spotlight on artists like Shaboozey
