On the morning of the 28th (KST), the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, U.S. At the ceremony, BTS once again reaffirmed their status by winning all three categories they were nominated in: “Best K-Pop,” “Best Group,” and the prestigious “Song of the Year,” bringing their total to three trophies.

This marked the first time BTS had taken home the “Song of the Year” trophy at the MTV VMAs. Meanwhile, the “Best Group” win was even more meaningful as it marked the group’s fifth victory in the category, following four consecutive wins from 2019 to 2022.

While ARMYs celebrated BTS’ major victories, fans also paid close attention to another detail: BTS did not attend this year’s ceremony to receive their trophies in person. Some ARMYs viewed the move as a sign that the group is no longer particularly interested in the VMAs, especially considering that just days earlier, BTS had gone to the trouble of flying back and forth between the U.S. and South кσяєα within two days just to perform for 15 minutes at the 2026 iHeartRadio Music Festival.

As a result, the group’s absence from an event where they won three awards drew even more comparisons to the mαѕѕ Grammy boycott on Instagram several months ago. Similarly, BTS’ decision to “turn their backs on” the VMAs this time has received strong support from fans, particularly following what they viewed as a lack of fairness and goodwill from the awards show — which they believe was not much different from the Grammys.

Earlier, in mid-August, the VMAs announced the nominees across its categories, with BTS initially receiving just two nominations: Song of the Year for “SWIM” and Best K-Pop. The number was significantly lower than what many fans and industry observers had expected. More notably, BTS was absent from Best Album and Song of Summer, despite the group spending three consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with ARIRANG, while “SWIM” is one of the highest-achieving songs of the summer.

The fact that the Album of the Year category was entirely dominated by αмєяι¢αn artists, including Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, and Sabrina Carpenter, also led fans to question whether the VMAs were following in the Grammys’ footsteps — allegedly sidelining BTS from prestigious categories while favoring domestic artists.

The wave of disappointment grew even stronger amid a series of moves that fans found suspicious. The VMAs’ voting rules contain provisions that, according to fans, leave room for the sponsor to intervene and determine the winner at its own discretion. Around the same time, after receiving intense backlash, the VMAs allegedly quietly deleted posts announcing the Best Album and Song of Summer nominees from its X account and official website, raising questions about the transparency and consistency of the awards process.

After all the alleged tactics and perceived unfairness from the MTV VMAs, ARMYs continued to fιgнт until the very end to reclaim what they believed BTS fully deserved. The sweep of three major trophies became the strongest answer of all, once again underscoring the group’s unrivaled status.

Still, reclaiming what they believed was rightfully theirs did not necessarily mean that BTS and ARMY were “satisfied” with the organizers. That is precisely why the victory felt even more significant when BTS chose not to appear at the ceremony — a clear and firm stance that echoed the way they previously turned their backs on and boycotted the Grammys this past June. Fans applauded the move:

- You dont understand how happy it makes me that BTS never attended this stupid show

- BTS once attended the iHeartRadio even which wasn't exactly prestigious so why wouldn't they participate in this one?The members clearly saw the lack of transparency and the ∂ιяту tactics involved in the whole affair

- Every time, I'm surprised by how wise and intelligent BTS are... they know what they're doing

- They are playing in everyone’s face. The pop and best collaboration winners were a joke. It’s an attendance award show so my expectations were low but wow. Glad bts knows their worth.

- The vmas have been boring for so many years it used to be iconic back in the 90s/2000s/early 2010s it’s just sooooo lame now. They're so much bigger & better than these awards shows

- They don't need to attend anymore of these stupid award shows. But we will still win them every single one of them for them!!!

- What a trash show, how can they give Best Pop to someone when Taylor and SZA were right there? Thank God BTS didn't go to this fake award show

- I only voted for BTS without expecting anything—I already know how sellouts they are

- These rigged award shows aren't even relevant to them anymore. Their records alone speak for themselves