Kacey Musgraves to Lead Dolly Parton Tribute at 2026 VMAs — SkimNews
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- Kacey Musgraves will lead a Dolly Parton tribute at the 2026 MTV VMAs on Sept. 27 — her first VMA stage appearance in five years
- On X after Parton's August death, Musgraves wrote "The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden" and said she found comfort imagining Parton reuniting with husband Carl Dean, who died in March 2025
- During her Middle of Nowhere tour's Boston and New York stops, Musgraves covered "Here You Come Again" and "9 to 5," telling Madison Square Garden that the world "definitely lost a light" and calling Parton "the closest thing we've ever had to royalty"
- Musgraves is nominated for Best Country at the same ceremony for her song "Dry Spell"
- Raye, Sombr, and Teddy Swims will perform a tribute to George Michael, who died nearly a decade ago, while Madonna opens the show — her first VMAs performance in 20 years
- Other performers include Gunna, Lisa, Shaboozey, Gener8ion, Sienna Spiro, and Yung Lean; the broadcast airs on CBS and MTV at 7:30 p.m. ET on Sept. 27
Why it matters: Dolly Parton's August death set the emotional tone for the 2026 VMAs: Musgraves will lead the tribute after already covering Parton's songs during her current Middle of Nowhere tour, and her Best Country nomination for "Dry Spell" runs on the same broadcast. The Sept. 27 show pairs the Parton and George Michael tributes with Madonna's first VMA performance in 20 years, turning a pop-culture awards ceremony into a night of legacy-icon honoring.
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