Madonna Jokingly Calls Out Sabrina Carpenter for Taking ‘5 Days’ to Respond in Best Collab Speech at 2026 VMAs

Madonna and Sabrina Carpenter brought their love for each other on the VMAs stage after their song, “Bring Your Love,” won best collaboration at the Sunday (Sept. 27) ceremony.

After their names were read by presenters David Corenswet and Isabel May, the two blonde pop superstars walked out on stage holding hands. Madonna went on to tell the “true story” of how their dance-pop duet came to be, revealing that she was initially left on delivered after she first reached out to Carpenter’s team about possibly collaborating.

“When five days passed, and I still didn’t get connected with Sabrina and hear back from her about whether she wanted to do a song with me, I DM’d her,” Madonna said as the “Espresso” singer giggled. “She answered me back, and within weeks we were in the studio together. It was fabulous.”

“My team is s–tting themselves backstage,” Carpenter quipped before assuring viewers that her reps are indeed responsive.

The “Vogue” artist also shared some reasons why she and the former Disney Channel star work well together. “When I show up late, she shows up early, so it works out,” Madonna said. “She has OCD, and so do I. We write our lyrics down on a sheet of paper, like they did in the 1800s.”

The pop icon added that “Bring Your Love” is “a song about people who think they know you better than you know yourself,” while Carpenter gushed to her collaborator, “I love you very much.”

The sweet moment shortly came after Sab and Madge performed together on the VMAs stage at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, opening the show with the former playing piano as the pop icon lounged on top of it. They sang “Bring Your Love” — which debuted at No. 74 on the Billboard Hot 100 in May — before the Queen of Pop continued on with a medley of Confessions II bops, including “Danceteria.” Charli xcx joined Madonna for the showcase, as did Julia Garner, sombr and Seth Rogen.

Carpenter and Madonna went into the night with several nominations under their belts. Both were up for video of the year and artist of the year, while “Bring Your Love” also received a song of the year nod.