Why Noah Kahan Wasn’t at VMAs 2026

Noah Kahan might be an astronaut, but he couldn’t be at the VMAs with all the moon people. 

Although the “Orbiter” singer was nominated for Best Alternative video at the Sept. 27 ceremony—which saw Taylor Swift, Madonna and BTS among winners—he could not be present in Los Angeles as he is currently in Australia for The Great Divide tour. 

“Can’t watch the Vmas in Australia,” Kahan quipped in a Sept. 27 post on X, “So, I’m just pouring Nickelodeon slime all over myself in my hotel room pretending I won something.”

Indeed, while Kahan earned his very first VMA nomination for his “The Great Divide” video alongside Geese for “Taxes,” Machine Gun Kelly and Fred Durst for “Fix Ur Face,” Sombr for “Homewrecker,” Tame Impala for “Dracula,” Twenty One Pilots for “Drag Path,” and Olivia Rodrigo for “The Cure,” the Moon Person ultimately went to Rodrigo, who also missed the ceremony due to her Unraveled Tour. (See here for every winner at the VMAs.)

Of course, Kahan kept his sportsmanship in check, emphasizing that he was lucky to have his career in music following his loss.