Viewers watching the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards may have been surprised to see one of the biggest awards of the night, Artist of the Year, become the first to be announced live during the Sunday, September 7, night ceremony. Well, it turns out there was an important reason behind that decision.

Lady Gaga was announced as the winner of the honor. After celebrating with Ariana Grande, whom she was seated next to in the audience, she took the stage to give an acceptance speech, during which she spoke directly to her fans and gave fiancé Michael Polansky a special shoutout.

At the end of her time on stage, she said she would love to stick around and watch the rest of the night’s performances, but noted that she had to get “back to Madison Square Garden.” Gaga is currently in the midst of her Mayhem Ball tour and has her final MSG show on the same night as the VMAs. She finished her speech around 8:15/7:15c, and then seemingly rushed back to New York City to perform for her fans.

The VMAs took place at UBS Arena, which is on Long Island. The estimated driving time to Madison Square Garden as of press time is about 40 minutes. According to fans who have attended the Mayhem Ball tour, Gaga usually takes the stage between 8:40 and 9, so while she may be a bit later than usual due to her VMAs appearance (she estimated a 9:30 start time), the show should go on as planned, assuming there are no hiccups in transit! After all, this is Lady Gaga … she can probably get some sort of police escort, right?!

Later in the night, Gaga will also be performing during the VMAs, but her set was pre-recorded at a previous Madison Square Garden show on the tour. Her performance is expected to include “Abracadabra” and “The Dead Dance.”