Video Music Award Hosts
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Video | Masters Of Mayhem: Best VMA Host Moments Foul-mouthed, farting and really freakin' funny, the Video Music Awards hosts serve up a deliciously irreverent look at VMAs past, with plenty of the sweet and spicy celebrity side-trimmings.
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2007 2007 Video Music AwardsWith the whole Palms Hotel under our spell and Timbaland, Foo Fighters, Justin Timberlake, Fall Out Boy and Kanye West throwing parties of their own in the fantasy suites, who needs a host?! This show's got enough action to carry itself!
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2006 Jack BlackWho in the world can keep up with (not to mention, talk over) three hours of outrageously over-the-top, shamelessly self-indulgent, celebrity-packed action and still make a room full of nominees laugh through their losses? Only one name comes to mind, and that's Jack Black.
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2005 DiddyAfter running the New York marathon, acting on Broadway, threatening the lives of any young people who didn't vote and surviving his friendship with Biggie Smalls, we figured Diddy could do just about anything. And you know what, we were right.
Watch Diddy's Host Monologue -
2004 2004 Video Music AwardsLook, we had performances by Usher, Kanye West, Lil' Jon, Fat Joe, Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera, Nelly, Alicia Keys, Stevie Wonder, Outkast and did we mention STEVIE WONDER?!?! Who needs a host? That show runs itself.
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2003 Chris RockOnce you've had the best, why bother with the rest? Chris Rock came back for a third visit to help us celebrate MTV's 20th anniversary and managed to individually trash every celeb in the audience. Needless to say, he's an inspiration and a father figure to most of us.
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2002 Jimmy FallonTechnically the eighth SNL employee to take the reins of the VMAs, boy-wonder Jimmy Fallon had a lot to live up to, especially on a show that featured performances by Michael Jackson and James Brown. As anybody who saw his opening parody/dance routine will tell you, he knocked the damn thing out of the park.
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2001 Jamie FoxxAfter having him as host of the MTV Movie Awards the year before, we were jonesin' for a Foxx fix. So we got one and, as always, the acting, dancing, singing, gut-splitting, born star came through with a vengeance.
Watch Jamie Foxx's Host Monologue -
2000 Shawn Wayans & Marlon WayansIn the year when Scary Movie launched a thousand knockoff spoofs, who could we have as hosts but the hilarious Wayans brothers. And so it was that we entered a new millennium of boy bands and white rap to the tune of their crack-headed comedy.
Watch Shawn & Marlan Wayans' Host Monologue -
1999 Chris RockLittle-known fact: one of Chris Rock's lifetime ambitions was to be the bread on a Ben Stiller sandwich. And, since we at MTV are in the business of making dreams come true, we had Chris back for another night of laughing ourselves sick.
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1998 Ben StillerIn the wake of cringe-comedy sensation, There's Something About Mary, Ben Stiller was finally on the verge of being a really big deal. So, before co-starring in every other movie made for the next decade or so, he got to hang out with Madonna backstage at the VMAs.
Watch Ben Stiller's Host Monologue -
1997 Chris RockWithout a doubt one of the funniest, best-known comedians in the world, when we got our hands on Chris Rock, he had just begun hosting his own show on HBO. Within two years he would release Bigger & Blacker and officially take over the world.
Watch Chris Rock's Host Monologue -
1996 Dennis MillerWhat can we say? We have attachment issues. Dennis Miller came back for a repeat performance and got to witness, firsthand, alternative rock's conquering of the mainstream.
Watch Dennis Miller's Host Monologue -
1995 Dennis MillerHave we ever formally thanked you, Saturday Night Live, for providing us with such a steady stream of fantastic VMA hosts? We yanked Dennis Miller from his seat at the SNL news desk and transplanted his venomous smirk to our stage. Match made in heaven.
Watch Dennis Miller's Host Monologue -
1994 Roseanne BarrAnybody out there still sporting trucker caps, you owe Roseanne Barr money. The notoriously nasty founder of trash fashion took to our stage like a recovering smoker to Doublemint. Chewed it up and spit it out.
Watch Roseanne Barr's Host Monologue -
1993 Christian SlaterAfter blowing minds in Pump Up the Volume and shifting paradigms in Heathers, where was there for Christian Slater to go but to the VMAs? The early-'90s king of cool hosted the gig just days before starring in True Romance, which was Quentin Tarantino's debut screenplay.
Watch Christian Slater's Host Monologue -
1992 Dana CarveyIn 1992, Dana Carvey was the king of the world. Between laughing, crying and hurling at Wayne's World, everybody we knew was driving their parents crazy imitating the Church Lady, Hans, Franz or Ross Perot. So yeah, we got Dana.
Watch Dana Carvey's Host Monologue -
1991 Arsenio HallIn his fourth year as host of the VMAs, the incomparably charismatic Arsenio Hall received an honorary Moonman in recognition of his unprecedented contributions to the world's greatest award show ... ours!
Watch Arsenio Hall's Host Monologue -
1990 Arsenio HallAs much as we agree that ordering the same thing every time you have Chinese food is a waste of your life - don't judge us here - we just REALLY like sesame chicken. And you know what else we like? Arsenio Hall. So, we stuck with him.
Watch Arsenio Hall's Host Monologue -
1989 Arsenio HallArsenio Hall is such a good host that, on top of being asked back to the VMAs, he got his own talk show in '89. And, not to be lazy or anything, but we just can't resist including this Wikipedia quote: "The show was known for the audience's shouting 'Roo Roo Roo' while pumping their fists." Good, right?
Watch Arsenio Hall's Host Monologue -
1988 Arsenio HallSo, this is awkward, but you know who's actually a really great host? Arsenio Hall. Not only did he provide the voice for the animated Real Ghostbusters character Winston Zeddemore, he also popped up in a little movie you may have seen called Coming To America. Thanks for the intro, Eddie Murphy!
Watch Arsenio Hall's Host Monologue -
1987 MTV VJs: "Downtown" Julie Brown, Carolyn Heldman & Dweezil ZappaIt worked a year earlier so we did it again with Dweezil Zappa, Downtown Julie Brown, Kevin Seal and more? Hey! They did a good job!
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1986 MTV VJs: "Downtown" Julie Brown, Mark Goodman, Alan Hunter, Martha Quinn & Dweezil ZappaHosts ... Pshhht. Who needsum? This is the '80s, right? Look what happened last time we let somebody run the show. Grenada! Iran-Contra! Donahue! That's why we're going commando until further notice, tapping our own home-grown celebs like Martha Quinn, Mark Goodman and Downtown Julie Brown, dammit.
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1985 Eddie MurphyBefore the idea of Eddie Murphy included the terrifying implications of a Norbit sequel, the budding star was busy handing out Moonmen. This SNL alum was a breakout big screen star on top of having blown the lid off comedy with his first HBO special, Delirious.
Watch Eddie Murphy's Host Monologue -
1984 Bette Midler & Dan Akroyd Twenty-some years on, they might seem like an odd choice, but in 1984 he was the star of the mega-blockbuster Ghostbusters and she was traipsing across MTV with Mick Jagger in the video for her cover of the Rolling Stones' "Beast of Burden." Strangely, they were perfect.
Watch Bette Midler & Dan Aykroyd's Host Monologue
