Ari shouting out the gays during her VMA acceptance speech for Best Pop

Ariana Grande is feeling thankful.

At the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday, Sept. 7, Grande accepted the award for best pop for “Brighter Days Ahead” and delivered a heartfelt speech with some very special shout-outs.

“Thank you so much. Oh my God, this is so kind…. I have to start by saying thank you so much to my fans. I’m gonna cry,” Grande, 32, said on stage. “I love you with every fiber of my being. Thank you, MTV.”

The Wicked star then gave a shout-out to her dad Edward Butera, who acted in the video “for the first time in his life.”

“He is the best scene partner and dad in the world,” she said.

Grande also thanked her music video director, Christian Breslauer, and the music video “village” including producers, editors, designers, glam and more.

“Thank you so much for bringing these songs and this vision to life and articulating them visually in a way that was fanciful and yet specific and vulnerable and yet protective, all at once,” she said. “Oh my goodness, you guys. You are the best in the world. I just want to say these videos that mean so much and define us as artists forever take a village.”

“Thank you for championing me as a songwriter and producer as well. I love you so much,” she said, before adding, “And thank you to my therapist and gay people. I love you.”

The “Positions” singer released “Brighter Days Ahead” in tandem with Eternal Sunshine Deluxe. In the 26-minute video, she transforms into a much older version of herself and undergoes “advanced memory restoration,” which allows her to go back in time to connect with her younger self and relive memories both “cherished and painful.”

Earlier this month, the “Twilight Zone” singer announced the Eternal Sunshine Tour across North America and the U.K. in 2026.

Ariana Grande at the MTV VMAs in Elmont, New York on Sept. 7, 2025.Manny Carabel/Getty

At the time, she shared the tour poster on Instagram and captioned the post, “see you next year ♡ 🧸”

At this year’s VMAs, Grande was nominated for seven awards and took home three: Best Pop, Video of the Year and Best Long Form Video.

The 2025 MTV VMAs, hosted by LL Cool J, featured performances from Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter, Sombr, Alex Warren, J Balvin featuring DJ Snake, Post Malone, Doja Cat, Jelly Roll, Conan Gray and Tate McRae, among others.

The 2025 MTV VMAs air live from New York’s UBS Arena on Sunday, Sept. 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS and MTV. The ceremony will also stream on Paramount+.