Dolly Parton Tribute Set for 2026 MTV VMAs With Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves will pay tribute to her late friend Dolly Parton at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. CBS and MTV said Wednesday that Musgraves will take the stage to perform in honor of Parton, who died Aug. 25 at age 80. Musgraves, who is nominated this year for best country for “Dry Spell,” previously hit the VMAs stage five years ago, when she performed “Star-Crossed.” She’s won three VMAs overall during her career. Musgraves recently honored Parton during her Aug. 28 concert in Boston, dedicating her own “Rainbow” and a cover of Parton’s “Here You Come Again” to the singer just a few days after her death. They’ve also shared the stage several times. In 2016, Musgraves was among those who took part in a tribute to Parton at the CMA Awards, where the latter accepted the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award. Musgraves sung “Here You Come Again” before being part of the group that presented the award. Musgraves also performed the same song alongside Parton at the 2019 Grammys during a special segment featuring a medley of Parton’s hits. She also sang the song with Katy Perry in 2014 for CMT Crossroads and again with Perry at the 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year gala. Dolly Parton (left) and Kacey Musgraves perform onstage during the 61st annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2019, in Los Angeles. Kevin Winter/Getty Images After Parton died, Musgraves posted a series of messages on X: “Dolly. 💔 This really really hurts. … The world feels a lot less sparkly all of a sudden. … So glad she’s with her [late husband] Carl Dean. … No one talk to me today. I’m really okay if my feed never goes back to normal. It’s not doom-scrolling it’s Dolly-scrolling.” As previously announced, the show also will feature a tribute to George Michael by Raye, Sombr and Teddy Swims. Meanwhile, Nirvana will receive the Video Vanguard Award this year, while Taylor Swift will receive the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honors. Snoop Dogg is hosting the ceremony, which will open with a performance by Madonna, who leads the nominees with 13 mentions. Other performers will include Gener8ion, Yung Lean, Lisa, Shaboozey, Gunna and Sienna Spiro. The 2026 VMAs, which are taking place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, will air Sept. 27 (7:30-9:30 p.m. ET/4:30-6:30 p.m. PT) on CBS and MTV and stream on Paramount+ (Premium) in the U.S. It also will be available globally the next day on Paramount+ and MTV. The show is produced by Gunpowder & Sky, with Van Toffler producing. Jesse Ignjatovic of Den of Thieves, Barb Bialkowski and Bruce Gillmer serve as executive producers, alongside Barry Barclay and Floris Bauer. Snoop Dogg also is exec producer.