Megan Thee Stallion hosts, Taylor Swift rules, Eminem opens: What to know about the 2024 MTV VMAs

NEW YORK (AP) — Rapper, singer, songwriter, businesswoman, hot girl summer purveyor and now... award show host? Megan Thee Stallion will both host and perform at the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards.

It marks her first time hosting an award show, though she’s guest hosted “Saturday Night Live” and served as a co-host for “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in the past. This time, it’s in front of her musical peers.

The 2024 award show promises star-studded performances — including an opening set by Eminem, tons of moon people, and even more Taylor Swift.

Here's everything you need to know about the MTV VMAs.

The VMAs will air live on Sept. 11 at 8 p.m. Eastern from the UBS Arena on New York’s Long Island.

The award show moved back a day because of the forthcoming U.S. presidential debate. ABC News recently confirmed that the campaigns of both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump had agreed to participate in a debate on Sept. 10.

Swift tops the VMA nominations with 12 — eight for her “Fortnight” music video, two social categories and nods in the artist of the year and best pop categories. She’s followed by her “Fortnight” collaborator Post Malone, who has 11. He is nominated along with Swift 10 times and earned his 11th nom for his country hit “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen.

Rounding out the artist of the year category nominees are Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Eminem, Sabrina Carpenter and SZA.

Eminem boasts eight nods; Ariana Grande, Megan Thee Stallion, Sabrina Carpenter and SZA have seven each.

Benson Boone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, GloRilla, Blackpink’s LISA, Olivia Rodrigo and Teddy Swims follow with four nominations each.

This year features 29 first-time nominees, which include Wallen, Carpenter, Swims, Boone and more.

Eminem will open the VMAs, returning to the stage for the first time in just two years, when he performed “From the D 2 The LBC” alongside Snoop Dogg.

Performers will include Perry, Boone, Carpenter, Megan Thee Stallion, Chappell Roan, GloRilla, Halsey, Lenny Kravitz, LISA, Rauw Alejandro, Karol G, LL COOL J, Shawn Mendes, Camila Cabello and Anitta, who will be joined by Fat Joe, DJ Khaled and Tiago PZK.

Katy Perry will receive the Video Vanguard Award. She will also perform.

Previous recipients include Shakira, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Missy Elliott.

Perry will return to the VMA stage for the first time since 2017, when she performed and hosted the award show.

The pop singer has won five VMAs across her career. She took home her first three awards in 2011: video of the year (“Firework”), best collaboration and best special effects (both for “E.T.,” featuring Kanye West).

Fan voting across 15 gender-neutral categories is live right now and ends Friday.

Voting in the best new artist category will remain active throughout the show.

Addison Rae, Alessandra Ambrosio, Amelia Dimoldenberg, Big Sean, Busta Rhymes, Carson Daly, Cyndi Lauper, Måneskin's Damiano David, DANNA, DJ Khaled, Fat Joe, Flavor Flav, French Montana, Halle Bailey, Jordan Chiles, Lil Nas X, Miranda Lambert, Naomi Scott, Paris Hilton, Suki Waterhouse, Thalía and Tinashe will present at the VMAs.

This story first moved on August 28, 2024, and was updated Sept. 9, 2024 to reflect updates to the show lineup and awards tallies.

For more coverage of this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, visit https://apnews.com/hub/mtv-video-music-awards

FILE - Katy Perry appears at the MTV Video Music Awards in Inglewood, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2017. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Eminem is seen during pregame of an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Jan. 14, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, file)

FILE - Taylor Swift performs at Wembley Stadium as part of her Eras Tour on Friday, June 21, 2024 in London. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - A statue of the MTV Moon Man appears on the red carpet at the MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Aug. 21, 2018. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - Megan Thee Stallion performs during BottleRock Napa Valley on Friday, May 24, 2024, in Napa, Calif. (Photo by Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Milwaukee Brewers have grown accustomed to clinching playoff berths just about every year, but this latest celebration differed from the rest because it was so unexpected.

“It was like nobody thought we were going to be here today,” shortstop Willy Adames said Wednesday after the Brewers won their third NL Central title in four years. “Now we’re here. I don’t know what they’re going to say after this."

Milwaukee became the first major league team to reach the postseason Wednesday afternoon when the Chicago Cubs' 5-3 home loss to the Oakland Athletics enabled the Brewers to wrap up the division crown.

The Brewers' clubhouse emptied of players with one out to go in the ninth inning in Chicago, a couple of hours before Milwaukee's scheduled first pitch against Philadelphia. A muffled cheer could be heard after the final out when the Brewers won consecutive division titles for the first time in 42 years.

Milwaukee manager Pat Murphy said he watched the final outs of the Cubs' game with 90-year-old longtime Brewers broadcaster Bob Uecker.

“We were doing our show and I watched it with him,” Murphy said. “What's better than that? Awesome.”

The party began in earnest Wednesday night after Jake Bauers' ninth-inning RBI single gave the Brewers a 2-1 victory over the Phillies. Blue-and-gold streamers fell into the American Family Field stands as the team gathered in shallow center field.

That led to a champagne-soaked celebration in the locker room before players returned to the field to pose for a team picture while receiving a standing ovation from the fans who stuck around.

Not everyone could drink the champagne. Rookie outfielder Jackson Chourio is still only 20 years old.

“I think maybe I'll grab a Coke or something,” Chourio joked through a translator.

This marks the Brewers’ sixth postseason berth in the last seven years, a remarkable accomplishment for a small-market team that made the playoffs just twice in a 35-year stretch from 1983-2017.

Although the Brewers have made a habit of outperforming preseason expectations, the odds seemed stacked against them even more than usual this year.

Craig Counsell, the winningest manager in Brewers history, left for the rival Cubs last offseason. Corbin Burnes, the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner, was traded to the Baltimore Orioles.

Two-time All-Star right-hander Brandon Woodruff didn’t pitch all year as he recovered from shoulder surgery, and two-time NL reliever of the year Devin Williams missed the first half of the season with stress fractures in his back. All-Star outfielder Christian Yelich and pitchers Wade Miley and Robert Gasser went down with season-ending injuries.

None of it stopped Milwaukee.

“You can do all that to us, but it’s still about people, and you have no idea what their best is,” Murphy said. “These guys don’t know what their best is and didn’t know what their best was and still don’t. But they know one thing: Pulling together, competing, being doubted is something that can vault you forward into a championship.”

The Brewers took over first place for good at the end of April and never looked back. Now they've won back-to-back division titles for the first time since 1981-82. That 1982 season marked Milwaukee's lone World Series appearance, which ended with a seven-game loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.

Milwaukee benefited from the leadership of Murphy, who had been Counsell’s bench coach since 2016. Rather than following Counsell to Chicago, Murphy stayed in Milwaukee and got his first full-time opportunity as a major league manager two weeks before his 65th birthday. Murphy’s only previous MLB managerial experience had come as an interim skipper with San Diego in 2015.

Murphy has kept the locker room loose while guiding a team that hasn’t lost more than three straight games at any point this season. The Brewers are the only club that hasn’t had a losing streak of at least four games.

“He’s brought the edge that we play with,” Williams said. “We’re ready to fight every day.”

The Brewers have succeeded with what Murphy refers to as an “all-hands-on-deck” approach.

Milwaukee has used 17 starting pitchers this season (only the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels had more). Twelve different Brewers pitchers have earned a save, two shy of the record of 14 set by the 2021 Tampa Bay Rays. Milwaukee entered Wednesday with a 3.65 ERA that ranked fourth in the majors.

The Brewers relied largely on their pitching the last few seasons and ultimately came up short in the playoffs, as they’ve lost nine of their last 10 postseason games. This year’s Brewers lineup appears to pack more punch.

Milwaukee entered Wednesday ranked fourth in runs (733) and 11th in OPS (.735) after finishing 17th in runs (728) and 23rd in OPS (.704) last year.

Yelich was leading the NL in batting average (.315) and on-base percentage (.406) before back issues ended his season in late July. William Contreras has developed into one of the game’s best-hitting catchers. Adames is the first Brewers shortstop to have a 30-homer, 100-RBI season, something even Hall of Famer Robin Yount never accomplished in Milwaukee. Chourio is the youngest player to hit 20 homers and steal 20 bases in one season.

“This is exactly what you as a competitor want to be a part of, right?” first baseman Rhys Hoskins said. “It didn’t necessarily look exactly the way that maybe some of us thought, but what’s cool is that we still were able to find ways to get the job done.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

Milwaukee Brewers manager Pat Murphy is seen during the third inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers' William Contreras reacts after hitting a two-run scoring double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

Milwaukee Brewers' William Contreras reacts after hitting a two-run scoring double during the third inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)