Katy Perry came all the way down to Earth from outer space to make her MTV VMAs hosting debut Sunday night. Sort of.
The “Teenage Dream” singer kicked off her hosting gig with a pre-taped intro documenting her (fictional) journey to space (to find herself), complete with plenty of celebrity cameos. At one point, Perry tried on spacesuits and got fashion advice from Abbi Jacobson and Kathryn Hahn. Then, she was FaceTiming with a confused Buzz Aldrin who asked, “How did you get my number?”
When she finally took the stage, she tried her hand at some political commentary, poking fun at the dumpster fire we’re currently living through. Being that she was “in space,” she missed all the major pop culture moments ― Fyre Festival, fidget spinners ― that have happened over the past few months. Duh!
Most of Perry’s jokes fell flat ― at least, according to Twitter:
If you were hoping to see Perry comment on Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” video, which premiered during the show, you’re out of luck, because the “Firework” singer kept mum.
She did, however, take a jab at basically everyone who voted for President Donald Trump. So, there’s that.
The cringeworthy jokes kept coming throughout the night. One particularly awkward moment came when Perry walked on stage with a fake baby strapped to her chest. Naturally, she was upstaged by DJ Khaled’s son Asahd who pretty much stole the entire show.
Perry was nominated for five awards at this year’s show, including Best Pop, Best Direction and Best Visual Effects, all for “Chained to the Rhythm.” She also earned a nomination for Best Art Direction for “Bon Appetit” and Best Collaboration for “Feels” with Calvin Harris, Pharrell Williams and Big Sean.
The “Swish Swish” singer’s hosting gig marks the show’s return to a traditional structure. At last year’s show, MTV opted to forgo an actual host and instead had Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as commentators. Miley Cyrus hosted in 2015, though, and we’ll never forget the moment she was called out by Nicki Minaj.
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