MTV Is Bringing 2023 Video Music Awards Back To Newark, NJ

NEWARK, NJ — MTV is bringing its annual Video Music Awards back to New Jersey’s largest city for 2023.

On Tuesday, MTV announced that its VMAs will return to the Prudential Center in Newark for a second straight year on Tuesday, Sept. 12. Airing live in more than 150 countries and reaching more than 319 million households, the VMAs will pay tribute to some of the best music videos of the past year, and will include performances from superstars yet-to-be-named.

Newark also hosted the VMAs in 2019 and 2022. Last year, Nicki Minaj became the latest pop star to receive MTV’s Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, which pays tribute to a performer’s “profound impact” on pop culture.

Meanwhile, the Red Hot Chili Peppers took home a Global Icon Award, which celebrates an artist or band whose “unparalleled career, continued impact, and influence have maintained a unique level of global success in music and beyond, leaving an indelible mark on the music landscape.”

• See Related: MTV Comes To NJ: Watch Highlights From Video Music Awards In Newark

Tuesday’s announcement got a big thumbs-up from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka.

“The return of the VMAs to the Prudential Center testifies to New Jersey’s enduring standing as a premier venue for large-scale entertainment events,” Murphy said.

“As the home of some of the most internationally renowned names in the music industry, New Jersey is proud to once again partner with Paramount to showcase an array of exciting performances to a global audience,” the governor continued.

“By hosting this highly anticipated spectacle, our state and local economies will also benefit from the thousands of visitors who will shop, dine, and stay in our local communities,” Murphy added.

Baraka said that the choice of Newark as host city “reverberates our city’s historic vibe as a hotbed of musical genius.”

“Starting with America’s first known composer in 1759, through the jazz explosion in the 1920s, and up to today’s full spectrum of genres from hip hop to opera, Newark has long served as America’s turntable for harmonic expression,” Baraka said.

“The relevance of the Video Music Awards rising up today from the same city that registered the film and video industry’s first nitrocellulose patent is not lost on me as Newark continues to sit squarely at the crossroads of motion picture and music,” the mayor said.

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“We’re thrilled to be returning to the Prudential Center in Newark for this year’s VMAs,” said Bruce Gillmer, an executive at Paramount Media Networks & MTV Entertainment Studios.

“Celebrating one of our biggest nights in music with the Garden State's incredible fans has been our goal since last year's highly successful event,” Gillmer said.

Jake Reynolds, president of the Prudential Center, said the venue is “incredibly proud” to host the VMAs again.

“All eyes of the entertainment industry will be focused on Newark,” Reynolds said.

Previous incarnations of the VMAs held in Newark have met with a big round of applause from many residents. But others have used the blockbuster event to rally support for causes such as clean water and poverty relief, holding protests outside on the night of the award ceremony.

• See Related: Protest For Clean Water Ignites Outside MTV Awards
• See Related: Protesters Decry Poverty, Lack Of Housing At MTV Awards

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