Taylor Swift didn’t show up at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards, and people noticed. She is usually full of energy at these shows, dancing, reacting, and even dropping surprises. This year she skipped it completely. It’s the first time since 2021 that she hasn’t attended, and fans are curious why.
Even though she hasn’t released a new album this year, she was still nominated for Artist of the Year. The VMAs have often been her stage for big announcements, but this time she didn’t appear. Her friend and collaborator Sabrina Carpenter performed, which made Taylor’s absence even more obvious.
One likely reason is her fiancé, Travis Kelce, and his NFL season. The Kansas City Chiefs started their season on September 5 in Brazil. If Taylor went there to support him, traveling back for the VMAs would have been tough. She wasn’t performing or promoting an album, so it probably didn’t make sense for her to show up.
Last year, she mentioned Travis while accepting Video of the Year for her Fortnight collaboration with Post Malone. She talked about how fun it was to film the video and how she would hear cheering from him after each take.
Fans don’t have to worry though. Taylor has already announced her next album, Life of a Showgirl, on Travis and Jason Kelce’s football podcast. With that coming soon, she will likely return to the VMAs in 2026 with new performances and more nominations.
Right now, Taylor is tied with Beyoncé as the most awarded artist in VMAs history, with 30 wins each. It’s unclear who will break the tie this year. Either way, her absence left a noticeable gap at the 2025 show, and fans are already excited for her return.
