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September 28, 2026 12:09 pm   By (https://www.showbiz411.com/author/roger-friedman) Roger Friedman          () (vma 2026)        Share  (https://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.showbiz411.com%2F2026%2F09%2F28%2Fmadonna-taylor-swift-mtv-vmas-ratings-dropped-50-percent-from-last-year-lowest-numbers-ever-fans-accuse-show-being-staged) (Facebook)   Facebook  (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=MTV+VMAs+Early+Reports+of+Ratings+Dropping+50%25+from+Last+Year%2C+Low+Numbers+As+Fans+Accuse+Show+Being+Staged%3A+Has+Taylor+Jumped+the+Shark%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.showbiz411.com%2F2026%2F09%2F28%2Fmadonna-taylor-swift-mtv-vmas-ratings-dropped-50-percent-from-last-year-lowest-numbers-ever-fans-accuse-show-being-staged&via=Showbiz411) (Twitter)   Twitter  (https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.showbiz411.com/2026/09/28/madonna-taylor-swift-mtv-vmas-ratings-dropped-50-percent-from-last-year-lowest-numbers-ever-fans-accuse-show-being-staged&media=https://www.showbiz411.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/vma-2026.jpg&description=MTV+VMAs+Early+Reports+of+Ratings+Dropping+50%25+from+Last+Year%2C+Low+Numbers+As+Fans+Accuse+Show+Being+Staged%3A+Has+Taylor+Jumped+the+Shark%3F) (Pinterest)   Pinterest  (https://api.whatsapp.com/send?text=MTV+VMAs+Early+Reports+of+Ratings+Dropping+50%25+from+Last+Year%2C+Low+Numbers+As+Fans+Accuse+Show+Being+Staged%3A+Has+Taylor+Jumped+the+Shark%3F %0A%0A https://www.showbiz411.com/2026/09/28/madonna-taylor-swift-mtv-vmas-ratings-dropped-50-percent-from-last-year-lowest-numbers-ever-fans-accuse-show-being-staged) (WhatsApp)   WhatsApp    (madonna-taylor-swift-mtv-vmas-ratings-dropped-50-percent-from-last-year-lowest-numbers-ever-fans-accuse-show-being-staged.html#) (More)             (https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=showbiz411.com) ★ Make Showbiz411 your Preferred Source on Google   You can fool some of the people, but not all the time. Early reports indicate that the ratings for the MTV Video Music Awards were just 2.1 million, down FIFTY percent from last year, the lowest ever.   Numbers tomorrow may show improvement based on the preceding NFL game, which was a nail biter. (Wow, to say the least.)   Fans were incensed online that Madonna, who’s 68, won 7 awards for a dance album that was not a hit or relevant to them. They were also not pleased about the adoration of Taylor Swift, who dropped a video that can only be seen for a fee. She also didn’t even mention her new husband in any of her speeches.   It was clear to the most oblivious viewer that the only people won were those in attendance — and the only ones in attendance knew what they’d won in advance. The whole show looked arranged and paid for by the winners.   Social media engagement: YouTube videos of various performances and speeches were all less than 400,000 — except for one– Lisa of BLACKPINK. That video of her acceptance speech for Bet Pop (pop what? not defined) has garnered 1 million views since last night.   Also, a closer look at Madonna’s performance indicates either she wasn’t up to the physical challenge (who could blame her?) or had celebrated backstage before not surprisingly winning her awards. She could barely form a coherent sentence. The whole show was miserable. Imagine the CBS viewer who thought “60 Minutes” followed the football game only to find Madonna and naked dancers writhing, kissing, carrying on to a pre-taped disco nightmare. If they didn’t change channels then, they most surely did soon thereafter.   The VMAs were never a class act. They aren’t the Grammys, to be sure. MTV itself doesn’t exist anymore. No one knows where to see the videos that were nominated. But then to have KPop  videos the audience has never seen win awards — come on, no one believed it for a minute. To make matters worse, a really incoherent Snoop Dogg was not even a host — he was more like a wise cracking usher. He was no guide for the evening, and seemed as out of it as the performers. (Was he high?)    As for sales, Swift still has the top four singles on iTunes. But the album — which all the fans already own — has dropped to number 2. Has Taylor jumped the shark? We’ll see soon. (YouTube video player)   (YouTube video player)   (https://www.showbiz411.com/2026/09/23/flower-power-taylor-swift-ed-sheeran-dolly-parton-george-harrison-more-blossom-in-jill-brookes-stunning-holiday-book-genius-of-flowers) Flower Power: Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Dolly Parton, George Harrison, More Blossom in Jill Brooke’s Stunning Holiday Book, “Genius of Flowers”  (“Flower Power: Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Dolly Parton, George Harrison, More Blossom in Jill Brooke’s Stunning Holiday Book, “Genius of Flowers”” — Showbiz411)     Donate to Showbiz411.com Showbiz411 is now in its 13th year of providing breaking and exclusive entertainment news. This is an independent site, unlike the many Hollywood trades that are owned by one company. To continue providing news that takes a fresh look at what's going on in movies, music, theater, etc, advertising is our basis. Reader donations would be greatly appreciated, too. They are just another facet of keeping fact based journalism alive.Thank you (_donations)  (rogerfriedman@att.net)  (USD)  (https://www.showbiz411.com/wp-admin/admin-post.php?action=add_wpedon_button_ipn) (en_US) (WPPlugin_SP) (https://www.showbiz411.com/thankyou)  (https://www.showbiz411.com)  (Make your payments with PayPal. It is free, secure, effective.) () (10.00)  (10.00)  ()  (Support Showbiz411.com)  (Support Showbiz411.com)  (111201) (1) (0) (USD)         (https://www.showbiz411.com/author/roger-friedman) (Roger Friedman) (Roger Friedman)   (https://www.showbiz411.com/author/roger-friedman) Roger Friedman Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival. 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