LOS ANGELES: Taylor Swift has made MTV Video Music Awards history, becoming the most-awarded artist in the ceremony’s history after taking her career total to 33 VMAs at the 2026 awards.
Swift entered the ceremony tied with Beyoncé at 30 career wins. She first moved ahead after receiving the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors, a new award recognizing artists for their work in music-video direction and visual storytelling.
She added two more awards during the ceremony, winning Video of the Year for The Fate of Ophelia and Best Direction for Opalite. The three honors took her career tally to 33.
The milestone came during a major night for Swift, who also premiered the music video for her new song Patient Zero at the ceremony. The video was directed by Swift and stars Dakota Johnson and Colin Farrell, with cinematography by Oscar-winning filmmaker Emmanuel Lubezki.
Patient Zero is part of The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore, which includes four additional songs. The video received its world premiere during the VMAs on September 27 in Los Angeles.