2016 MTV Video Music Awards were held on August 28 , 2016 at Madison Square Garden in Manhattan . Adele 's " Hello " was the most nominated video with seven categories . This marked the 33rd edition of the live broadcast . Beyoncé led the nominations with a total of eleven , followed by Adele , who had eight . Rihanna received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award after performing several medley numbers during the ceremony . Britney Spears marked her first performance at the awards show since the heavily criticized 2007 show nine years prior . Beyoncé won eight awards to bring her career total of wins to 26 VMAs , overtaking Madonna 's previous record of 20 awards , making her the artist with the most wins in the history of the award show
2007 show
2007 MTV Video Music Awards
2016 MTV Video Music Awards