These VMA hosts were memorable for all the wrong reasons. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the most lackluster, awkward, and downright disastrous hosting stints in “MTV Video Music Awards” history.
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00:00Sorry, that's as far as we got in rehearsal.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:05Today, we're counting down our picks for the most lackluster, awkward and downright
00:09disastrous hosting stints in MTV Video Music Awards history.
00:13This is a show that hasn't had a host for the last two years, a tradition they'll probably
00:21return to immediately following tonight's show.
00:2510.
00:26Katy Perry – 34th MTV Video Music Awards
00:33Katy Perry's attempts to bring her unique quirky charm to the 2017 VMAs fell rather
00:38flat.
00:39Despite her pop star status and bubbly personality, Perry's night was marred by awkward jokes
00:43and forced skits that left the in-person audience visibly cringing.
00:58The struggle was real for Katy, and not even her performance of Swish Swish was able to
01:02bring the audience to her side.
01:09Making matters worse, the starlet's ongoing bad blood with Taylor Swift was said to be
01:13the reason why Tay-Tay skipped out on that year's proceedings.
01:20Taylor's people said it was because of jury duty, but either way, Swifties were not impressed,
01:24much like the rest of us.
01:259.
01:26MTV VJs – 3rd MTV Video Music Awards
01:36Two years following the inaugural awards ceremony, MTV decided to go with their own VJs as hosts
01:41of the star-studded show.
01:42And while this went on for two consecutive years in 86 and 87, it never quite worked.
01:47The idea, of course, was to capitalize on their familiarity with audiences.
01:59Unfortunately, it ended up feeling like an overextended episode of normal MTV programming
02:04at the time.
02:05The bland banter didn't help much, as audiences were left yearning for more polished presenters.
02:09It's no surprise, then, that MTV never went back to VJ hosts, even opting to have the
02:13show host-less when no bona fide celebrity was at the helm.
02:168.
02:17Marlon and Shawn Wayans – 17th MTV Video Music Awards
02:20Known for their comedic chops in shows like In Living Color and movies such as Scary Movie,
02:25Marlon and Shawn Wayans seemed like a great fit for the VMAs – on paper, at least.
02:38MTV painted a different picture, however, as the duo's humor didn't quite translate
02:41well into hosting duties.
02:42To be fair, there was a handful of truly funny quips, but many jokes were either too edgy
02:46or flat-out off-base.
02:47The monologue was also overly laden with profanity,
03:07making for an annoying barrage of bleeps.
03:09And on a night featuring plenty of spectacle, the comedians unfortunately became an afterthought
03:13to all the other madness at hand.
03:157.
03:16Jack Black – 23rd MTV Video Music Awards
03:19How could Jack Black possibly be on a list of worst hosts?
03:22He's got the star power, he's funny, and as a bonus for the MTV Awards, he's musically
03:26inclined.
03:33By all accounts, he should make for a wonderfully wild time as Master of Ceremonies.
03:42Alas, Black's stint at the 2006 VMAs is anything but memorable.
03:50His performance was fine, mind you, but the show as a whole was lambasted as being one
03:59of the most uninteresting in VMA history.
04:09Nothing stood out, and when Jack Black can't make the night pop, you know something's
04:13wrong.
04:146.
04:15Jamie Foxx – 18th MTV Video Music Awards
04:17Like Jack Black, Jamie Foxx's hosting turn should have been a slam dunk.
04:20The undeniably talented star showcased his ability to sing, dance, and do impersonations.
04:25Unfortunately, nothing left its mark, not even the bizarre opera-style musical number.
04:35And while the 2001 awards were filled with a plethora of buzzy moments, like the infamous
04:40Snake performance of I'm a Slave for You by Britney Spears and Michael Jackson's
04:43surprise appearance with NSYNC, nobody much remembered anything Jamie Foxx did that night.
04:47Heck, most forgot he even hosted the thing.
04:545.
04:58Roseanne Barr – 11th MTV Video Music Awards
05:01The year was 1994, and Roseanne Barr was riding high off the success of her namesake TV series.
05:09So to say the actress-comedian brought star power to the awards ceremony would be a wee
05:12bit of an understatement.
05:14Roseanne also deserves props for being the first solo female to host the show.
05:17Unfortunately for Barr, and us, her performance lacked finesse.
05:26For one, it was painfully apparent that she was trying to be edgy with her jokes.
05:29Those jokes weren't anything to write home about, though.
05:39It also didn't take long to discover that Roseanne's brash style was not an overly
05:42good fit for the MTV crowd.
05:494.
05:51Christian Slater – 10th MTV Video Music Awards
05:54In the late 80s and early 90s, Christian Slater was quite the rising star, and could be seen
05:58in the likes of 1991's Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves and 1993's True Romance.
06:04That's good and all, but why was he tasked with hosting 1993's MTV Video Music Awards?
06:17To be honest, we're not sure.
06:18He's not known for being especially funny, nor had he hosted other shows, and well, it
06:34showed.
06:38Slater majorly struggled to maintain momentum throughout the evening.
06:41We're pretty sure MTV wanted to target their younger audience, especially young girls,
06:46but the results just left us bored.
06:533.
07:03Bette Midler and Dan Aykroyd – 1st MTV Video Music Awards
07:07Held at Radio City Music Hall on September 14, 1984, the first ever MTV Video Music Awards
07:13brought together two legendary talents to be the inaugural hosts – Bette Midler and
07:17Dan Aykroyd.
07:28Sounds promising, right?
07:29Well, the execution proved otherwise.
07:31This was thanks to their chemistry on stage falling flat.
07:33In the end, Aykroyd and Midler struggled to connect with both each other and the audience.
07:37Did this odd celebrity pair really represent the MTV generation?
07:41Not quite.
07:42After the credits are played of the landmark premiere awards, the hosts are nowhere to
07:45be seen, with the spotlight instead being shunned on Madonna's wedding dress performance
07:49of Like A Virgin.
07:542.
07:58Chelsea Handler – 27th MTV Video Music Awards
08:02When Chelsea Handler walked onto the stage for the 2010 edition of the MTV Video Music
08:06Awards, things got rough for the biting comedian.
08:12Some critics called her hosting bizarre and incoherent, and while Handler is no stranger
08:15to being a host, she came across as inauthentic that night.
08:31Her crass brand of humor including off-color remarks was uninspired, and the lack of energy
08:36was palpable.
08:37The less we say about her awkward interactions with celebs, the better.
08:40Was it a coincidence that the show went hostless the following year?
08:43We think not.
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09:031.
09:05Miley Cyrus – 32nd MTV Video Music Awards Let's get one thing straight.
09:14If you really like Miley Cyrus, then you would have really liked the 2015 VMAs.
09:18After all, this was essentially the Miley show as she was all over it.
09:35The problem?
09:36She overshadowed everything else.
09:37And well, if you don't like Miley Cyrus, then this would have been an insufferable
09:40viewing experience.
09:48From constant costume changes to explicit remarks, it all left little room for others
09:52to shine.
09:53Miley knows how to stir up a crowd as a performer, not so much as a host.
09:56At least we got the meme-worthy Nicki Minaj What's Good moment out of it.
10:10Enough of the worst.
10:11Who do you think was the best MTV Video Music Awards host?
10:14Share your picks in the comments below.
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