Madonna announces first MTV VMAs performance since infamous 2003 Britney Spears kiss

Twenty-three years after delivering one of the most shocking and enduring spectacles in pop music history, Madonna is officially heading back to the MTV Video Music Awards stage.

MTV has confirmed that the Queen of Pop will perform live at this year’s ceremony, marking her first televised musical set at the VMAs since her headline-dominating appearance at the 2003 awards.

While Madonna made surprise appearances to present awards in subsequent years—including opening the 2021 broadcast in a black leather dominatrix ensemble to celebrate MTV’s 40th anniversary—she has not performed a full musical number at the network's flagship event in more than two decades.

Her last performance remains an indelible piece of early-2000s pop culture lore.

Opening the 2003 VMAs, Madonna emerged from a giant wedding cake dressed as a groom to perform "Hollywood," flanked by Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera clad in replica versions of Madonna’s infamous 1984 "Like a Virgin" bridal wear.

Madonna and Britney shared a steamy moment at the MTV VMA's 2003 ( Chris Polk/FilmMagic)

Midway through the set, Madonna famously locked lips with Spears before turning to share a second kiss with Aguilera, sending shockwaves through the live audience at Radio City Music Hall and dominating global front pages for weeks.

The broadcast cut instantly to a bewildered reaction shot of Spears' ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, cementing the routine as one of the most replayed clips in awards show history.

The performance then concluded with a guest verse from hip-hop trailblazer Missy Elliott.

While the spectacle became one of the most talked about performances in VMA's history - it very nearly almost featured a different star.

Jennifer Lopez was originally asked to take part in the performance, but sadly filming commitments for the movie Shall We Dance kept her from attending.

Lopez said on Watch What Happens Live earlier this year that she had “rehearsed and everything” to perform alongside Madonna - but the kiss was one surprise she didn’t have to practice.

Speaking to host Andy Cohen she recalled: “[Madonna] said that that’s what she wanted to do. It was a thing, like, ‘We’re going to get married, I’m going to be the groom, you guys are going to sing,’”

Lopez added. “I was the one who was going to come out first and sing ‘Like a Virgin.’ I can’t even really remember what it was, but it was something like that.”

Jennifer Lopez had originally been due to be part of the performance (Raimonda Kulikauskiene/Getty Images)

Madonna’s history with the VMAs stretches back to the very first ceremony in 1984, where she set the blueprint for pop provocation by writhing across the stage in a wedding dress while singing "Like a Virgin." She repeated history in 1990 with an 18th-century Marie Antoinette-inspired, fan-flapping performance of "Vogue."

Over her career, Madonna has collected 20 MTV Video Music Awards from an astonishing 69 nominations, making her the most-awarded female artist in the ceremony's history for decades until Beyoncé surpassed the record in 2016.

Network executives have kept specific details surrounding her upcoming set tightly under wraps, though insiders anticipate a high-energy medley honoring her multi-decade catalogue alongside current musical projects following her record-breaking Celebration Tour.