The 2025 MTV VMAs were, as usual, a star-studded affair. This year, some of those stars used their moments in the spotlight to uplift LGBTQ people.
Singers Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande both made headlines for their demonstrations and words in support of trans and gay individuals.
The biggest moment came in the form of Carpenter’s performance of “Tears.” She was joined onstage by numerous drag queens, including Honey Balenciaga, Symone, Jewels Sparkles and Denali. And at the end of the song, performers carried large signs reading, among other pro-LGBTQ messages, “protect trans rights” and “In Trans We Trust.”
Following the performance, viewers took to social media to laud her (and other allied celebrities) for “showing constant support to the trans community and showcasing drag queens in their biggest projects,” which, they added, is “so important in this political state.”
Grande, meanwhile, ended her acceptance speech for the biggest award of the night – Video of the Year – by thanking “therapists and gay people” for their roles in supporting her success. “I love you,” she added.
It’s not the first time either performer has been vocal about supporting the community. Just this past June, Carpenter raised $1 million to support a variety of nonprofits that offer mental health and suicide prevention services to LGBTQ people. Grande, meanwhile, spoke out in January in support of trans individuals amid the slurry of anti-trans executive orders signed by President Donald Trump when he re-assumed the office.
And both of them signed an open letter written by The Trevor Project, a nonprofit focused on suicide prevention among young people who identify as part of the LGBTQ community. The letter was written in protest of the Trump administration’s defunding of a crisis hotline.
While speaking with Forbes earlier this year, Carpenter plainly laid out the drive behind such public displays of support. “I want to send so much love to my LGBTQ+ fans,” she said. “You’ve always shown up for me, and I’m committed to showing up for you.”
