Why Bad Bunny Is Likely Skipping the 2026 VMAs

Looks like Bad Bunny is skipping the 2026 VMAs—unless he makes a surprise appearance later in the night that we don’t know about (unlikely, but don’t rule it out completely!).

Despite being nominated tonight, Benito doesn’t appear to be in attendance at this year’s show. He hasn’t released a statement explaining why (or what he’s doing instead), but his absence could simply be because he’s taking a break after his monumentally successful Debí Tirar Más Fotos World Tour, which concluded with two additional dates in San Juan, Puerto Rico back in August.

Reminder that Bad Bunny made history at the 2022 VMAs, when he became the first non-English-language performer to win Artist of the Year. “I have been saying it and I always believed from the beginning that I could become great,” he said in his acceptance speech. “That I could become one of the biggest stars in the world without having to change my culture, my language, my jargon. I am Benito Antonio Martínez from Puerto Rico to the whole world. Thank you!”

We’ll miss Bad Bunny at the VMAs this year, but speaking of awards, he just took home seven (seven!) Emmy Awards for The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny. Incredible!!!