The VMAs Refused To Comment After Miley Cyrus Revealed She Was Mistreated Behind The Scenes

Highlights

• Miley Cyrus faced sexism behind the scenes at the VMAs when a director made a sexist comment about the lighting she wanted for her performance.
• Cyrus's controversial performance at the 2020 VMAs was influenced by her desire to challenge gender norms and be treated equally to male performers.
• Cyrus received backlash for her comments about Nicki Minaj during the 2015 VMAs, with Minaj confronting her on stage. Cyrus defended herself, claiming Minaj made the situation about herself and criticized her approach to addressing race.

The MTV Video Music Awards has seen its share of controversial performances over the years. When Madonna dove to the ground in a wedding dress while performing "Like a Virgin," the audience couldn't believe what they were seeing. When Britney Spears tore off her suit and performed "Oops!...I Did It Again," parents said she was a bad role model for children.

This is a history Miley Cyrus is well aware of and was determined to be part of when she performed at the VMAs in 2013. However, it would also be the start of many controversial moments Cyrus would have on the show.

It all culminated in a 2020 performance, which Cyrus said was a nightmare to prepare for. During a later interview, Cyrus even said a director for the show made a sexist comment to her behind the scenes.

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During the 2020 MTV Video Music Awards, Miley Cyrus was one of many performers who wowed the crowd at the show. However, as she would reveal on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, it wasn't exactly smooth sailing behind the scenes.

"I was just asking some questions, not even on some diva s***," Cyrus said. "I wanted the lights to be turned off and then the lighting of the room to just be lighting me. So no key light, no beauty light. The beauty light is always used on women and I said turn the f****** lights off. You would never tell Travis Scott or Adam Levine that he couldn’t turn the beauty light off."

"They said, ‘Okay, we’ll just do the same thing that we would do with the guys,’ because that’s what I want," she continued. "And then something that I was doing … for the VMAs, my bracelets kept getting caught in all this s*** and they said, ‘You want to be treated like a guy? We wouldn’t be dealing with this if a guy was doing it.'"

Entertainment Weekly reached out to the representatives for the VMAs, who didn't return their request for comment.

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During the performance, Cyrus rode on top of a disco ball. Many believed this to be a reference to her "Wrecking Ball" video. This is the moment during her performance Cyrus was seemingly referring to.

"And I said, ‘Well, a guy wouldn’t be doing this because a guy doesn’t sell your show with sex the way that I’m going to,'" she said. "And I’m aware of that. It’s a ridiculous conversation and also embarrassing."

Miley And Robin Thicke Caused Controversy With Their Performance At The VMAs In 2013

Cyrus is no stranger to the VMA stage. In 2013, she shocked viewers with her performance of "We Can't Stop" and "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke. During the performance, Cyrus danced suggestively with Thicke and even sported a giant foam finger.

Many were shocked that this was the same girl who once played Hannah Montana on Disney Channel.

Shortly after the event, Cyrus spoke with MTV News about the performance and the controversy that followed.

"Me and Robin [Thicke,] the whole time said, 'You know we're about to make history right now,'" Cyrus said.

At the time, Cyrus said that she felt people who reacted negatively to the performance were overthinking it.

"What's amazing is I think now, we're three days later and people are still talking about it. They're overthinking it," she added. "You're thinking about it more than I thought about it when I did it. Like, I didn't even think about it 'cause that's just me."

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Cyrus also said that she didn't understand why people were so shocked, since many other artists have done similar things in the past.

"I don't pay attention to the negative because I've seen this play out so many times," Cyrus said. "How many times have we seen this play out in pop music? Madonna's done it. Britney's done it. Every VMA performance, that's what you're looking for; you're wanting to make history."

Nicki Minaj Confronted Miley From The Stage During The 2015 VMAs

In 2015, Nicki Minaj was vocal on social media about her disappointment that her "Anaconda" video didn't receive a Video of the Year nomination at the VMAs. Taylor Swift reacted to this as a personal attack on her own social media and was widely considered to be tone-deaf, since Minaj was making a greater point about the media neglecting contributions from Black female artists.

Swift later apologized to Minaj and admitted she was wrong. However, Cyrus reacted to the situation in an interview with The New York Times and said she didn't believe Swift was wrong. In fact, she claimed Minaj wasn't a nice person.

"And it’s not anger like, 'Guys, I’m frustrated about some things that are a bigger issue,'" Cyrus said. "You [Nicki Minaj] made it about you. Not to sound like a b****, but that’s like, 'Eh, I didn’t get my VMA.'"

Cyrus also said that while Minaj's point about race is important, she felt there was a better way for her to get it across.

"If you want to make it about race, there’s a way you could do that," Cyrus explained. "But don’t make it just about yourself. Say: 'This is the reason why I think it’s important to be nominated. There’s girls everywhere with this body type.'"

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This didn't sit well with Minaj, who reacted to Cyrus' comments after accepting her award for Hip-Hop Video of the Year.

"And now, back to this b**** that had a lot to say about me in the press," Minaj said. "Miley, what’s good?"

Cyrus, who was hosting the show that night, was surprised by the unexpected moment, but kept her cool.

"We’re all in this industry. We all do interviews. We know how they all manipulate," Cyrus told Minaj from the stage.

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