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Rock legend Jon Bon Jovi stepped into an unexpected role as a hero on Tuesday (Sept. 10) when he helped talk a distressed woman off the edge of a Nashville bridge.
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The incident, which occurred on the John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge, was captured on surveillance footage released by the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department.
The 62-year-old, who was filming a music video at the time, approached the woman with another person and calmly convinced her to step down from the ledge over the Cumberland River.
After about a minute of conversation, the footage shows Bon Jovi and the other individual helping the woman climb back over the railing. The singer then embraced her, before comforting her as they walked down the bridge together. Police confirmed that the woman was later taken to receive mental health care.
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“A shout out to @jonbonjovi & his team for helping a woman on the Seigenthaler Ped Bridge Tue night. Bon Jovi helped persuade her to come off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety,” Nashville police shared on X (formerly Twitter).
Nashville Police Chief John Drake praised the singer, stating, “It takes all of us to help keep each other safe.”
A shout out to @jonbonjovi & his team for helping a woman on the Seigenthaler Ped Bridge Tue night. Bon Jovi helped persuade her to come off the ledge over the Cumberland River to safety. “It takes all of us to help keep each other safe,”–Chief John Drake https://t.co/1YejKJ2WgM— Metro Nashville PD (@MNPDNashville) September 11, 2024
Bon Jovi’s involvement in the rescue is perhaps unsurprising given his extensive charity work through the JBJ Soul Foundation, which focuses on helping those affected by homelessness, hunger, and other crises.
This act of kindness has only further endeared Bon Jovi to fans, many of whom took to social media to praise the “Livin’ On a Prayer” legend.
When he’s not saving lives, Bon Jovi remains a longtime fixture in the music industry. The frontman for Bon Jovi, one of the world’s best-selling rock bands, has four Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hits under his belt, including classics like “Livin’ on a Prayer” and “You Give Love a Bad Name.” Earlier this year, the band released their album Forever, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top Album Sales chart.
Check out footage released by Nashville PD below.
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On Wednesday (Sept. 11), the MTV Video Music Awards celebrated its 40th anniversary with a star-studded telecast led by first-time host Megan Thee Stallion.
In addition to Thee Hot Girl Coach’s fiery Megan medley — which featured her Billboard Hot 100 hits “Hiss” (No. 1), “Boa” (No. 39) and “Mamushi” (with Yuki Chiba, No. 36) — the three-hour telecast also featured electrifying performances from Eminem, Jelly Roll, Shawn Mendes, Karol G, LISA, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Katy Perry, Doechii, Anitta, Fat Joe, DJ Khaled, Rauw Alejandro, Benson Boone, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Halsey, Lenny Kravitz, Quavo, Camila Cabello, GloRilla, Teddy Swims and Jessie Murph.
Taylor Swift, who was joined by “boyfriend” Travis Kelce, was the night’s biggest winner. By clinching seven Moonpeople from her 12 overall nominations, Swift tied Beyoncé as the biggest VMAs winner of all time. Carpenter took home her first Moonperson (song of the year for “Espresso”), as did fellow 2024 breakout star Roan (best new artist). Perry reigned as the night’s biggest honoree as she became the latest artist to receive the coveted Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award. Introduced by her fiancé Orlando Bloom, Perry delivered a bombastic career-spanning medley that notably featured two selections from her forthcoming 143 album: “Lifetimes” and the Doechii-assisted “I’m His, He’s Mine.”
Of course, no single television program can capture everything that happens on a night when so many stars come out to play — but Billboard has you covered. From the ground floor of Long Island’s UBS Arena to a VIP suite hosted by Bacardí Rum, the official spirits partner of the 2024 MTV VMAs which also boasts a global partnership with Cabello, Billboard was a true fly on the wall.
Here are five things you missed on the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards telecast.
Taylor Swift & Shaboozey Link Up
The 2024 MTV Video Music Awards took over the UBS Arena in Elmont, New York, on Wednesday (Sept. 11). Hosted by Megan Thee Stallion, the 2024 VMAs boasted a surprisingly consistent, inventive and impressive run of performances. This year’s broadcast marks 40 years of the VMAs, which had its inaugural show at Radio City Music […]
Chappell Roan made a bold statement at the 2024 MTV VMAs—not just for her medieval-inspired outfit, complete with a sword and rug, but also for a fierce exchange that took place on the red carpet.
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The incident, which was caught on video, shows Roan responding after a photographer shouted at her.
While posing for photos at the entry to UBS Arena in Elmont, N.Y., a photographer impatiently yelled at the rising pop star to “Shut the f–k up,” prompting the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer to turn and deliver an unfiltered response: “You shut the f–k up.”
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Waving a finger at the heckler, she added, “Not me, b—h,” before calmly resuming her red carpet poses as the crowd cheered.
Roan has been vocal about her experiences as an artist, especially when it comes to setting boundaries. After the incident, she told Entertainment Tonight, “For someone who gets a lot of anxiety around people yelling at you, the carpet is horrifying, and I yelled back. You don’t get to yell at me like that.”
Inside the venue was a more positive experience for the Missouri native, who took home her first-ever MTV Video Music Award for Best New Artist.
“Can you believe it? We’re at the VMAs!” she exclaimed as she accepted the award. In an emotional speech, Roan dedicated the win to the LGBTQ+ community and those who have supported her. “I dedicate this to all the drag artists who inspire me… for all the queer kids in the Midwest watching right now, I see you. I understand you, because I am one of you.”
Before accepting her Moon Person, Roan brought the heat on stage with a fiery performance of her breakout single “Good Luck, Babe!”
Dressed in a suit of armor, the vocalist lit a castle on fire with a flaming crossbow without missing a single note of the track, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in August.
In addition to this major win, Roan was also nominated for Push Performance of the Year for “Red Wine Supernova”, and Song of the Summer for “Good Luck, Babe!”.
Watch the moment Roan confronts a photographer on the 2024 MTV VMAs red carpet below.
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Taylor Swift won seven awards at the 2024 VMAs, which were held at UBS Arena in New York on Wednesday (Sept. 11). This brings Swift’s career total of Moonpersons to an even 30, which enables her to sprint past Beyoncé as the top winner in the show’s history. Bey has won 27 awards.
Swift won five of her awards in tandem with Post Malone, her collaborator on the smash “Fortnight.” That put him second in the night’s award count.
“Fortnight” won video of the year. It’s the third year in a row – and the fifth year overall – that Swift has won in that category. She previously won for “Bad Blood” (2015), “You Need to Calm Down” (2019), “All Too Well: The Short Film” (2022) and “Anti-Hero” (2023). This extends Swift’s record for most wins in the category and also makes her the first person to win three years running.
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Swift directed the “Fortnight” video, which won for best direction. Swift has won in that category in four of the last five years (for videos she personally directed). She previously won for “The Man,” “All Too Well: The Short Film” and “Anti-Hero.”
Swift also won artist of the year for the second year in a row. She’s the first artist to win twice in that category, which was introduced in 2017.
“Fortnight” won best collaboration. It’s Swift’s third win in that category, following “Bad Blood” (featuring Kendrick Lamar) and “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” with Zayn. And she won best pop for the third time, which puts her in a tie with Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake for the most wins in the category. (JT’s count includes two wins with *NSYNC.)
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” beat “Fortnight” for song of the year, but “Fortnight” beat Carpenter’s follow-up hit, “Please Please Please,” for song of summer.
Eminem, Megan Thee Stallion and Katy Perry each won two awards. This brings Eminem’s career total of VMAs to 15, which is more than any other male artist in the show’s history. Until this year, Em had been in a tie with Peter Gabriel, with 13 wins each.
Eminem took best hip-hop and best visual effects, both for “Houdini.” This is his third win for best hip-hop. Only Nicki Minaj has won more awards in the category (five). Drake has also won three.
Megan Thee Stallion, who hosted this year’s show, won best trending video for “Mamushi” (featuring Yuki Chiba) and best art direction for “BOA.”
Perry received the Video Vanguard Award and also, in a surprise, won VMAs most iconic performance for her 2013 performance of “Roar.” It beat such memorable VMA moments as Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” from the inaugural 1984 show and Eminem’s “The Real Slim Shady” and “The Way I Am” from 2000, where the rap icon was joined by 100+ Eminem lookalikes.
Women continued to dominate in several key categories. This is the seventh year in a row that a woman has won best new artist; the sixth year in a row that a woman has won video for good; the fifth year in a row that a woman has won song of the year; and the fourth year in a row that a woman has won best Latin. The last male artist to win the video vanguard award was Kanye West in 2015.
Chappell Roan won best new artist. It’s the seventh year in a row that a female artist has won the award. Cardi B started this streak in 2018, followed by Billie Eilish, Doja Cat, Olivia Rodrigo, Dove Cameron, Ice Spice and now Roan. Eilish and Rodrigo went on to win the Grammy for best new artist, which is looking increasingly likely for Roan.
Tyla’s “Water” won best Afrobeats in the category’s second year. Both winners in that category have been top 10 hits on the Hot 100. “Calm Down” by Rema and Selena Gomez won last year.
Seventeen took best group video. This is the sixth consecutive year that a K-pop group has won in that all-genre category. Blackpink won last year. BTS won the four years before that.
SZA took best R&B for the second year in a row. “Snooze” won this year. “Shirt” took the award last year. The only other artists to win back-to-back awards in this category are En Vogue (1993-93), Destiny’s Child (2000-01) and Alicia Keys (2004-05).
Anitta won best Latin for the third year in a row. The Latin star won for “Mil Veces,” having won in 2022 with “Envolver” and in 20023 with “Funk Rave.” This ties J Balvin, who won three years running (2018-20).
LISA’s “Rockstar” won best K-pop for the second time in three years.
Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” won video for good. She won in that same category three years ago for “Your Power.”
Lenny Kravitz won best rock for “Human.” Surprisingly, it’s his first win in the category. He beat five bands – Bon Jovi, Coldplay, Green Day, Kings of Leon and U2.
Charli XCX, GloRilla, Olivia Rodrigo and Teddy Swims were each shut out, despite four nods each.
Camila Cabello made her highly anticipated return to the MTV Video Music Awards stage on Wednesday (Sept. 11). On the heels of delivering her C,XOXO (Magic City Edition) deluxe earlier in September, Cabello has stepped into a new era as she traded out the blonde hair for her natural brunette locks. Along with jumping to […]
Taylor Swift and Eminem both made history at the 2024 VMAs, which were held at UBS Arena in New York on Wednesday (Sept. 11). Swift won seven awards, which brings her career total of Moonpersons to an even 30. This enables her to sprint past Beyoncé as the top winner in the show’s history. Eminem […]
Taylor Swift has won the grand prize of the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards, taking home video of the year for her self-directed “Fortnight” music video on Wednesday (Sept. 11). And while she was giving her acceptance speech, she made sure to thank Travis Kelce as well as remind fans to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
After taking her newest Moon Person from host and presenter Megan Thee Stallion and directing duet partner Post Malone to join her on the stage, the 34-year-old pop star told the crowd that “directing this video and putting it together and writing it was the most wonderful experience.”
She also shouted out Dead Poets Society actors Ethan Hawke and Josh Charles, “who were amazing cameos” in the visual, as well as director of photography Rodrigo Prieto for going “out of his way to work with female directors.” “This video seems very sad when you watch it, but it was actually the most fun video to make,” Swift continued before detailing an adorable on-set memory from the shoot.
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“I would always just hear someone cheering, like, ‘Whoo!’ from across the studio — that one person was my boyfriend, Travis,” the 14-time Grammy winner recalled, earning piercing screams from fans in the crowd at New York’s UBS Arena. “Everything this man touches turns to happiness and fun and magic, so I want to thank him for adding that to our shoot.”
The “Karma” singer also made sure to give fans their well-earned shout-out for supporting her global Eras Tour and The Tortured Poets Department album rollout, which included the LP reigning at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for a record 15 weeks. Then, propelled by the momentum of her headline-making Kamala Harris endorsement from the day prior, Swift left fans with an important reminder.
“If you’re over 18, please register to vote for something else very important that’s coming up,” she said with a pointed smile.
Earlier that night, Swift and Posty also won best collaboration for the “Fortnight” video, which dropped April 19 alongside TTPD. After Wednesday night, the musician — who was the most nominated person at the 2024 ceremony — is now the VMAs‘ most-awarded artist in history.
GloRilla may have been new to the VMAs, but the Memphis-bred MC made a splashy debut at MTV awards show Wednesday (Sept. 11) with a tough-as-nails medley that proved she’d earned her four nominations and primo performance spot near the end of the three-hour telecast. Dressed in a floor-length pinstriped black overcoat and matching baseball […]
Rap icon LL Cool J took the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards for the first time in nearly 30 years on Wednesday night (Sept. 11) to lead a tribute to the legendary Def Jam record label, which (like the VMAs themselves) celebrates its 40th anniversary this year.
LL was introduced by fellow hip-hop great Busta Rhymes, who called him a “true trailblazer… also my hero. He’s not only a hip-hop innovator, he’s not only a godfather, big homie and a mentor — he was the first artist to release an album on Def Jam, and a force to be reckoned with.” (Busta also gave a shoutout to LL’s new album The Force, and shouted out, “I’m proud to say I’m on that album too, baby!!“)
Joined by DJ Z-Trip, LL begun his performance with the first verse and chorus to his 2004 hit “Headsprung,” as throngs of fans sporting his iconic red Kangol hat — some of whom held up pictures of a goat, in reference to LL’s having popularized the “G.O.A.T.” phrase (in reference to the “greatest of all time”) with his 2000 album of that name — flanked the stage.
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Then, Chuck D and Flavor Flav of Public Enemy briefly took over with a performance of their group’s 1988 classic “Bring the Noise,” before Z-Trip ran through a series of prime LL classics: “Mama Said Knock You Out,” “Rock the Bells,” “Around the Way Girl” and “Goin’ Back to Cali.”
From there, the rapper segued into “Passion,” from his new The Force album — pausing to shoutout someone in the crowd, “That’s a nice green shirt” — and the advance single “Proclivities,” which also features Saweetie, and interpolates LL’s 1990 hit “Jingling Baby.” Finally, LL transitioned from “Proclivities” to his R-rated Mr. Smith smash “Doin’ It,” which he performed during his last appearance on the VMAs stage back in 1996.
LL Cool J is a two-time winner at the MTV Video Music Awards: “Mama Said Knock You Out” took best rap video in 1991, and in 1997, he became the first rapper to take home the Video Vanguard award.