MTV VMAs Red Carpet Romantics: A Look Back at Iconic Celebrity Couples

As a poet with a penchant for the dramatic, I, Maya Rivers, find myself enthralled by the storied history of celebrity couples who’ve walked the MTV VMAs red carpet together. The iconic night, set to take place on September 7, has been a backdrop for some of the most memorable moments in pop culture.

The MTV VMAs have a long history of hosting A-list couples, and it’s hard not to get caught up in the romance and nostalgia of it all. One need only think of the infamous 2003 VMAs, where Madonna made out with both Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, a moment that still sends shockwaves through the internet. Or who could forget Kanye West’s infamous microphone snatch from Taylor Swift during her 2009 acceptance speech? These moments, while often cringe-worthy, are etched in our collective memory.

Britney Spears, the pop princess, has had her fair share of memorable VMAs moments. In 2001, she performed with an albino Burmese python, which she recounted in her memoir, The Woman In Me, as a harrowing experience. “In my head I was saying, Just perform, just use your legs and perform,” she wrote. “But what nobody knows is that as I was singing, the snake brought its head right around to my face, right up to me, and started hissing.” Despite the terror, Spears soldiered on, handing the snake back when the performance ended.

The VMAs have also played host to many a celebrity couple, some of whom have gone on to have lasting relationships, while others have fizzled out. Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber, for example, attended the 2011 VMAs together, with Gomez even interviewing her then-boyfriend on the red carpet. Another iconic couple, Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey, posed for photographers at the annual event, as did Britney Spears and her then-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake.

But not all celebrity couples have fared well after attending the VMAs. Christina Applegate and Brad Pitt, for instance, attended the 1989 show together, only to have Applegate ditch Pitt during the event. In a 2015 appearance on Watch What Happens Live, Applegate revealed that she had been set up with Pitt, who was still on the rise at the time. Interestingly, Sebastian Bach, the lead singer of Skid Row, later claimed on the radio show Elliot in the Morning that he was the one who had caught Applegate’s eye, saying “that dude would be me. So there was a time on this earth when Sebastian Bach was, like, a hotter lay than Brad Pitt.”

The VMAs have also seen their fair share of high-profile breakups. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, for example, attended the 2013 VMAs together, but ultimately parted ways a year later. Similarly, Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin attended the 2018 VMAs together, just months before they got married.

As the stars prepare to take to the VMAs carpet on September 7, it’s hard not to feel a sense of nostalgia for the iconic couples who have attended the event over the years. From Madonna and Britney to Beyoncé and Jay-Z, the VMAs have played host to some of the most memorable moments in pop culture.

And so, as we look back on the storied history of celebrity couples at the VMAs, we’re reminded that even the most seemingly perfect relationships can be fleeting. But for one night, at least, they shone brightly under the bright lights of the VMAs red carpet.

Sources: Celebrity Storm and E! Online
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed