Snoop Dogg to host 2026 VMAs as show returns to West Coast

The MTV Video Music Awards are heading back to the West Coast for the first time in nine years, and they are bringing a hometown figure with them. CBS and MTV confirmed Thursday that Snoop Dogg will host the 2026 ceremony, which is set for September 27 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The show last took place in California in 2017, when Katy Perry hosted from the Forum in Inglewood.

Snoop, a Long Beach native, has been part of the VMAs since his first performance of "Murder Was the Case" in 1994. He has since been nominated 13 times and won three awards. His stage history includes a 1999 show-closing set with Dr. Dre and Eminem, a 2005 tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. with Diddy, and a 2022 metaverse-inspired performance with Eminem.

“MTV and the VMAs have been part of my story since the beginning. Some of the biggest moments of my career happened on that stage and on MTV – they gave hip-hop a place to be loud, fearless and seen by the whole world. So to come back now and host the VMAs, all these years later, that's a full-circle moment for me.”

: Snoop Dogg, in a statement

The rapper also pointed to his reunion with producer Van Toffler, a former MTV chief, as part of what makes the night significant. "Van was there during those early MTV days when we were changing the culture in real time, and we've got a whole lot of history together," Snoop said. "Now we get to make some new history."

Snoop's hosting role continues a recent pattern for the show: this will be the sixth consecutive year with a hip-hop artist as host, following Doja Cat, Jack Harlow, LL Cool J, Nicki Minaj, and Megan Thee Stallion. At 54, Snoop will be the second host in a row over 50.

The ceremony will also honor Nirvana with the Video Vanguard Award, an announcement made the day before the host news. The band first performed at the VMAs in 1992. This year's top nominee is Madonna with 11 nods, followed by Taylor Swift with nine and Ariana Grande with seven.

The 2026 VMAs will air live coast-to-coast from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS, simulcast on MTV, and stream on Paramount+ Premium in the U.S. International viewers can see it the next day on Paramount+ and MTV. Performers, presenters, and additional guests will be announced in the coming weeks.