The MTV Video Music Awards came home to the West Coast on Sunday night. According to the host, the credit goes entirely to him.
Snoop Dogg took the stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles for his first turn hosting the show. The VMAs have lived on the East Coast since 2018, and Snoop wasted no time explaining how they got back. He said his first reaction to the hosting offer was to ask whether the show would be in L.A. When he heard it wouldn’t, he declared himself busy. A few phone calls later, MTV reportedly discovered that the show was in L.A. after all. Industry analysts call this the most effective scheduling negotiation ever performed by simply being unavailable.
A Party of Historic Proportions (Allegedly)
Snoop promised the crowd “the biggest party” in the show’s history, then announced that every winner of the night would receive a special gift from him. He described the gift in vague, colorful terms, and this press release will leave it to readers to decode. Legal counsel has advised us to say only that it was presented as a joke and that no gift bags were inspected.
He also gave shout-outs to a few “favorite people” in the building, including Madonna, who kicked off the show, and Taylor Swift. Neither could be reached for comment on how they felt about being someone’s favorite before the first commercial break.
The Joke Nobody Saw Coming
Rather than end on a serious note, the 54-year-old closed his monologue with a brief stand-up bit built on a knock-knock joke. The audience was not prepared for the punchline, which was “Deez Nuts.” Witnesses reported a brief silence, followed by laughter, followed by several people quietly admitting they’d walked right into it. Experts confirm this is the oldest trick in the book and that it still works every time.
A Long History With the Show
Snoop’s relationship with the VMAs goes back more than three decades. He first performed “Murder Was the Case” from Doggystyle on the show in 1993. Thirty-three years later he returned as host, a promotion so smooth that HR departments everywhere are reportedly taking notes.
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The night also had its share of unscripted moments. The telecast started about 20 minutes late because of a football game, and Madonna revealed she had to DM Sabrina Carpenter personally after her team took five days to reply to a collaboration request.
