VMAs Producer Van Toffler on Madonna’s Return, the Taylor Takeover and Why He Brought the Show West Again: ‘L.A. and Snoop Is a Lethal Combo’

By Chris Willman

Chris Willman

Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic

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You can go home again, at least part-time, as former MTV Networks head Van Toffler proved when he came back in 2025 as the producer of the MTV Video Music Awards. He’s back in the saddle for a second year in 2026, as the two-hour telecast enjoys its second year in a row with a prime-time spot on CBS. He and the show are are already generating much greater buzz in this reprise, between Snoop Dogg hosting, the return of Madonna after a 23-year absence, Taylor Swift premiering a new music video, star-studded tributes to Dolly Parton and George Michael, a Nirvana lifetime honor and worthy young performers like Lisa, Raye and Sienna Spiro.

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