Oct. 3, 2026

Most-Awarded Artist in VMA History: Video of the Year, Best Direction and the First Artist Director Honor, Plus the Patient Zero Premiere

Show Notes
Transcript

Taylor Swift is now the most-awarded artist in MTV VMA history. At the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 27 she won Video of the Year for "The Fate of Ophelia," Best Direction for "Opalite," and the first-ever MTV VMA Artist Director Honors — then premiered the "Patient Zero" video she directed herself. Lyla breaks down the full night, the Dolly Parton dedication that stopped the room, and Travis's one-word reaction from Kansas City.

🏆 She passed Beyoncé, who she'd been tied with at 30 Moon Persons

🎬 Video of the Year for "The Fate of Ophelia" — extending her own record in the category, after "Bad Blood," "You Need to Calm Down," "All Too Well: The Short Film," "Anti-Hero" and "Fortnight"

🎥 Best Direction for "Opalite," plus the inaugural Artist Director Honors, presented by Dakota Johnson, who called her an architect of emotional landscapes

💔 She dedicated Video of the Year to "the ultimate showgirl," Dolly Parton, praising the vividness of her storytelling

🎞️ The "Patient Zero" video premiered live — directed by Swift, starring Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, shot by two-time Oscar winner Emmanuel Lubezki

👑 Madonna had the other huge night: seven wins including Artist of the Year, from a career-high 13 nominations. Snoop Dogg hosted; Nirvana took the Video Vanguard

🏈 Travis watched from Kansas City and posted one word: "Legendary"

👗 Still no wedding dress photos, now past three months. Dior says the first look comes from Taylor's own Instagram.

Check out the new facebook chat page here. Come join the community! It's small now and we need your help growing.

Taylor Swift Today now has an official Facebook community! Connect with fellow Swifties to discuss all the incredible revelations from Taylor's New Heights appearance. Search "Taylor Swift Today" on Facebook or check out instagram and be sure to follow us to join thousands of fans worldwide. Whether you're analyzing lyrics, sharing concert memories, or just celebrating Taylor's new era, our community is the perfect place to connect with people who love Taylor as much as you do.

WEBVTT

1
00:00:03.830 --> 00:00:09.789
Hey, everyone.

2
00:00:09.869 --> 00:00:13.460
I'm Lila, and welcome back to Taylor Swift. Today, she

3
00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:16.899
did it. She actually did it. Last Sunday night at

4
00:00:16.920 --> 00:00:20.660
the VMAs, Taylor Swift made history. And this week, we

5
00:00:20.679 --> 00:00:23.949
get to celebrate one of the biggest career milestones she

6
00:00:24.070 --> 00:00:28.449
has ever hit. On top of that, she unveiled a

7
00:00:28.629 --> 00:00:32.109
stunning new music video that proves she is so much

8
00:00:32.170 --> 00:00:34.679
more than a pop star, and her husband had the

9
00:00:34.759 --> 00:00:38.299
most perfect one-word reaction to all of it. This is

10
00:00:38.340 --> 00:00:42.020
a happy one, so let's get into it. Let's start

11
00:00:42.039 --> 00:00:46.299
with the headline, because it is enormous. At the 2026

12
00:00:46.299 --> 00:00:51.000
MTV Video Music Awards, Taylor Swift officially became the most

13
00:00:51.060 --> 00:00:54.640
awarded artist in the entire history of the show. For years,

14
00:00:54.740 --> 00:00:57.619
she had been tied with Beyonce at the top, the

15
00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:01.509
two of them neck and neck with the most trophies ever. Well,

16
00:01:01.770 --> 00:01:06.329
not anymore. After Sunday night, Taylor now stands completely alone

17
00:01:06.469 --> 00:01:10.769
at the summit. She has more of those Moon Person

18
00:01:10.790 --> 00:01:15.230
trophies than than any artist who has ever walked that stage.

19
00:01:15.510 --> 00:01:16.310
Let that sink in.

20
00:01:16.790 --> 00:01:19.010
In a career full of records, this might be one

21
00:01:19.030 --> 00:01:21.709
of the most meaningful because it is a lifetime achievement

22
00:01:21.769 --> 00:01:27.370
kind of number. And she did not just inch past

23
00:01:27.709 --> 00:01:28.230
the record.

24
00:01:28.629 --> 00:01:30.010
She had a huge night doing it.

25
00:01:30.670 --> 00:01:33.670
She took home Video of the Year, the single biggest

26
00:01:33.750 --> 00:01:36.849
award of the evening for her song, The Fate of Ophelia.

27
00:01:37.840 --> 00:01:40.879
That was actually the very last award handed out all night.

28
00:01:40.959 --> 00:01:44.439
So she literally closed the show as the champion. But

29
00:01:44.599 --> 00:01:47.819
the moment that had me tearing up was the other

30
00:01:48.260 --> 00:01:51.780
honor she received because MTV created a brand new award

31
00:01:51.819 --> 00:01:55.060
this year, the Artist Director Honor, and they created it

32
00:01:55.140 --> 00:01:59.200
specifically to celebrate Taylor. Here is why that is so special.

33
00:02:00.109 --> 00:02:02.969
Over the past 20 years, Taylor has directed a huge

34
00:02:03.049 --> 00:02:06.109
number of her own music videos, something like 18 of

35
00:02:06.159 --> 00:02:09.699
them herself. And she has become genuinely respected as a

36
00:02:09.819 --> 00:02:14.699
visual storyteller and filmmaker, not just a singer. So this

37
00:02:14.780 --> 00:02:18.780
new honor recognizes her work behind the camera as a director.

38
00:02:18.800 --> 00:02:23.439
And who presented it to her? Her good friend, the

39
00:02:23.520 --> 00:02:27.939
actress Dakota Johnson, who gave the loveliest introduction, calling Taylor

40
00:02:28.020 --> 00:02:31.939
a storyteller and, in her words, an architect of emotional landscapes.

41
00:02:32.780 --> 00:02:35.750
They played a montage of all the videos Taylor has

42
00:02:35.789 --> 00:02:38.669
directed over the years, and then Taylor accepted the award

43
00:02:38.710 --> 00:02:41.030
and dedicated it to her fans the way she always does. Um.

44
00:02:43.129 --> 00:02:46.090
For the record, the night was hosted by Snoop Dogg

45
00:02:46.169 --> 00:02:48.370
and Madonna took home Artist of the Year, so it

46
00:02:48.389 --> 00:02:51.990
was a true celebration of pop royalty across the generations.

47
00:02:52.490 --> 00:02:56.430
But the story of the night was unquestionably Taylor. Now,

48
00:02:56.569 --> 00:02:59.560
that award tied directly into the other massive moment of

49
00:02:59.580 --> 00:03:02.979
the evening because Taylor used her VMA stage to premiere

50
00:03:03.000 --> 00:03:06.360
something brand new. You will remember that last week, she

51
00:03:06.460 --> 00:03:09.460
surprise released four new songs on the deluxe edition of

52
00:03:09.500 --> 00:03:13.659
her album called The Encore. Well, the lead single from

53
00:03:13.710 --> 00:03:17.169
that batch is called Patient Zero. And on Sunday, she

54
00:03:17.229 --> 00:03:20.310
debuted the music video for it live for the very

55
00:03:20.330 --> 00:03:24.509
first time right there during the broadcast. And this is

56
00:03:24.569 --> 00:03:28.310
not your average pop music video. This is a genuine

57
00:03:28.430 --> 00:03:32.620
short film. Taylor directed it herself, and she cast two

58
00:03:32.680 --> 00:03:36.180
major Hollywood actors as her co-stars, Dakota Johnson and the

59
00:03:36.319 --> 00:03:40.060
Oscar-nominated Colin Farrell. But here is the detail that made

60
00:03:40.120 --> 00:03:41.780
film buffs sit up straight.

61
00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:43.500
She shot it.

62
00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:48.139
With Emmanuel Lubezki, one of the most celebrated cinematographers alive,

63
00:03:48.639 --> 00:03:51.879
a man who has won multiple Academy Awards for making

64
00:03:51.939 --> 00:03:55.129
some of the most breathtakingly beautiful films of the last decade.

65
00:03:56.110 --> 00:03:58.810
The fact that Taylor is now working with talent at

66
00:03:58.849 --> 00:04:03.580
that level tells you she is taking her filmmaking incredibly seriously.

67
00:04:04.479 --> 00:04:09.180
The video itself is moody and cinematic and literary with

68
00:04:09.469 --> 00:04:13.590
striking atmospheric imagery. And Taylor said she loved getting to

69
00:04:13.650 --> 00:04:16.810
explore the kind of film and literary genres that inspire her.

70
00:04:17.649 --> 00:04:20.860
So this was not just an awards win. It was

71
00:04:21.120 --> 00:04:25.220
Taylor announcing loud and clear that she is a real

72
00:04:25.259 --> 00:04:26.089
director now.

73
00:04:26.319 --> 00:04:27.079
What a flex.

74
00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.139
When we come back, how Travis reacted to all of

75
00:04:30.199 --> 00:04:34.120
this from afar and the adorable newlywed detail fans spotted

76
00:04:34.220 --> 00:04:35.519
in the video teaser.

77
00:04:35.639 --> 00:04:46.209
Stay with me. Welcome back.

78
00:04:46.769 --> 00:04:49.689
So you might be wondering, where was Travis during his

79
00:04:49.750 --> 00:04:51.529
wife's history-making night?

80
00:04:51.750 --> 00:04:54.660
Well, Doody called. Travis was back home.

81
00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:57.120
With the Chiefs deep in the football season, so he

82
00:04:57.160 --> 00:04:59.800
could not be in the audience in Los Angeles to

83
00:04:59.879 --> 00:05:04.209
cheer Taylor on in person. But do not worry, because

84
00:05:04.490 --> 00:05:08.129
he was absolutely watching and celebrating from afar, and his

85
00:05:08.170 --> 00:05:12.389
reaction was perfect. See, a few of Travis's own friends

86
00:05:12.509 --> 00:05:15.629
actually appear in the Patient Zero music video. So when

87
00:05:15.649 --> 00:05:18.629
the video dropped, Travis shared it and summed up his

88
00:05:18.689 --> 00:05:22.500
feelings in a single word. He simply wrote legendary.

89
00:05:23.560 --> 00:05:24.850
One word and.

90
00:05:24.810 --> 00:05:28.620
It says everything. He is so proud of her. And

91
00:05:28.660 --> 00:05:31.420
it goes both ways because here is the sweetest part.

92
00:05:32.519 --> 00:05:35.110
On one of the other new songs, the joyful one

93
00:05:35.470 --> 00:05:38.250
literally called Cleveland, which as we talked about last week

94
00:05:38.350 --> 00:05:42.470
is a giddy love song that nods to Travis's Ohio roots.

95
00:05:43.589 --> 00:05:48.180
Travis himself actually appears in the lyric video. So even

96
00:05:48.240 --> 00:05:51.160
while they are apart for football season, these two keep

97
00:05:51.240 --> 00:05:54.819
finding ways to show up in each other's art. She

98
00:05:55.100 --> 00:05:58.759
puts him in her songs. He pops up in her videos.

99
00:05:59.379 --> 00:06:03.790
It is honestly the cutest creative partnership in entertainment right now.

100
00:06:04.470 --> 00:06:07.970
And speaking of adorable, the internet caught the most charming

101
00:06:08.009 --> 00:06:12.189
little detail before the video even premiered. When Taylor posted

102
00:06:12.290 --> 00:06:15.839
a teaser clip on her Instagram, eagle-eyed fans noticed she

103
00:06:15.879 --> 00:06:19.300
was wearing a button-up shirt that looks suspiciously like something

104
00:06:19.379 --> 00:06:23.149
out of Travis's closet. Fans immediately decided it was his

105
00:06:23.269 --> 00:06:26.439
shirt with one joking that she has every right to

106
00:06:26.500 --> 00:06:29.160
raid her husband's wardrobe because it was, quote, the most

107
00:06:29.199 --> 00:06:35.750
Travis Kelsey top ever. Something borrowed married life edition. Whether

108
00:06:35.790 --> 00:06:38.569
it is actually his or not, the fans ran with it.

109
00:06:38.670 --> 00:06:42.189
And it is exactly the kind of cozy domestic little

110
00:06:42.250 --> 00:06:45.509
mystery we live for now that these two are hitched.

111
00:06:46.540 --> 00:06:47.939
So let's step.

112
00:06:47.699 --> 00:06:50.959
Back and take in the whole picture, because what a

113
00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:54.379
stretch this has been for Taylor. In the span of

114
00:06:54.490 --> 00:06:57.269
just a few days, she surprise released a batch of

115
00:06:57.329 --> 00:07:02.639
new music, premiered an ambitious, star-studded short film she directed herself,

116
00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:07.639
won the biggest award of the night, And officially became

117
00:07:07.660 --> 00:07:12.410
the most decorated artist in VMA history. And she did

118
00:07:12.589 --> 00:07:16.279
all of it as a blissfully happy newlywed with her

119
00:07:16.360 --> 00:07:20.019
husband cheering her on from a football field a couple

120
00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:23.370
thousand miles away. When people try to tell you her

121
00:07:23.430 --> 00:07:26.370
career might slow down now that she is married, this

122
00:07:26.430 --> 00:07:27.610
past week is the answer.

123
00:07:27.870 --> 00:07:29.250
She is not slowing down.

124
00:07:29.750 --> 00:07:34.310
If anything, she is expanding, moving into film and directing,

125
00:07:34.490 --> 00:07:38.439
pushing into brand new territory. And for the theory lovers,

126
00:07:38.980 --> 00:07:42.370
the Easter egg hunt is still very much alive. Remember

127
00:07:42.410 --> 00:07:45.009
those cryptic clues from her Emmy cameo a couple of

128
00:07:45.029 --> 00:07:47.769
weeks back? Fans are still convinced they point to her

129
00:07:47.850 --> 00:07:52.209
re-recorded debut album, Taylor Swift, Taylor's version, possibly arriving before

130
00:07:52.250 --> 00:07:54.850
the end of the year. So even after all the

131
00:07:54.910 --> 00:07:57.069
news of the last two weeks, there may be another

132
00:07:57.110 --> 00:08:00.709
surprise still waiting in the wings. With Taylor, there always is.

133
00:08:01.410 --> 00:08:05.839
And of course, I am contractually obligated at this point

134
00:08:05.879 --> 00:08:07.740
to tell you still no wedding dress.

135
00:08:08.240 --> 00:08:09.759
We are over three months out now.

136
00:08:10.920 --> 00:08:14.699
She has given us new songs, a new short film,

137
00:08:15.220 --> 00:08:17.579
and a place in the record books, but that one

138
00:08:17.759 --> 00:08:21.339
single photo of her in her Dior gown remains locked away.

139
00:08:21.899 --> 00:08:24.560
At this point, it is the greatest cliffhanger in pop culture,

140
00:08:24.620 --> 00:08:26.470
and I have fully surrendered to the weight.

141
00:08:27.220 --> 00:08:31.199
So there is your week, and it was a triumphant one.

142
00:08:31.310 --> 00:08:35.049
Taylor Swift is now the most awarded artist in VMA history,

143
00:08:35.070 --> 00:08:38.690
a bona fide film director, and still the happiest newlywed

144
00:08:38.789 --> 00:08:39.370
in the world.

145
00:08:39.870 --> 00:08:42.529
I could not be prouder if I tried. That is

146
00:08:42.629 --> 00:08:45.000
our show. I'm Laila.

147
00:08:45.460 --> 00:08:48.120
Go watch the Patient Zero video if you have not yet.

148
00:08:48.240 --> 00:08:50.480
It genuinely plays like a little movie. And then come

149
00:08:50.519 --> 00:08:52.259
leave me a comment on Spotify and tell me what

150
00:08:52.279 --> 00:08:54.200
you think of it and which of the new songs

151
00:08:54.259 --> 00:08:58.070
is your favorite. Turn your notifications on because between that

152
00:08:58.129 --> 00:09:00.470
lingering debut album theory and the wedding dress we are

153
00:09:00.529 --> 00:09:03.629
all still waiting for, Taylor is clearly not done surprising

154
00:09:03.690 --> 00:09:06.289
us this year. Find us on Facebook too. Just search

155
00:09:06.350 --> 00:09:10.799
Taylor Swift today and share this with the friend who

156
00:09:10.820 --> 00:09:14.139
needs to celebrate this history-making moment with you. Thanks so

157
00:09:14.159 --> 00:09:16.320
much for hanging out with me today. I'm Lila and

158
00:09:16.379 --> 00:09:17.320
I will see you next time.