Beyoncé Has The Most MTV Video Music Award Wins Of All Time

Beyoncé is one of the most successful musicians ever, and now she is on top when it comes to yet another record. The singer can now claim the title of the artist with the most MTV Video Music Award trophies of all time, thanks to her excellent luck last night. With eight new wins attached to her name as of last night’s ceremony, Bey’s work has now been awarded an incredible 24 moonmen (as MTV calls them), which puts her in the lead by a few pieces of metal. Before yesterday, Madonna was in charge, thanks to the 20 moonmen she has won over her long, illustrious career.

The former Destiny’s Child member has been collecting moonmen since 2003, and though she has an impressive body of work, her 24 wins are only for a relatively small number of songs. Four of her tracks—“Crazy In Love,” “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” “Pretty Hurts,” and now “Formation”—have won more than a single trophy, with “Formation” leading the pack with an impressive six wins. “Naughty Girl,” “Check On It,” “Beautiful Liar,” “Run The World (Girls),” “Countdown,” “Drunk In Love,” “7/11,” “Hold Up,” and her new visual album Lemonade have all been awarded one moonman. Adding to her total is her Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, which MTV treats like a lifetime achievement honor.

While she has won 24 times, Beyoncé has, of course, been nominated quite a bit more than that. In fact, her releases have been nominated an unbelievable 90 times, and that figure is sure to rise the next time she releases anything visual, and it’s only a matter of time before she breaks into triple digit territory. 

In addition to now having the most moonmen of any artist, Beyoncé has also tied for second when it comes to the most wins in a single evening. Last night, the star’s work won eight trophies, which puts her on the same level as A-ha, who managed the feat first back in 1986, and Lady Gaga, who also collected eight honors one night six years ago. Those three acts are only being bested in this category by Peter Gabriel, who won 10 trophies in one fell swoop at the 1987 ceremony.

It’s important to note that while Beyonce’s work has come out on top 24 times, she doesn’t necessarily have that many trophies at home. Many of the wins she has accrued actually see the prize handed off to an editor, a choreographer, or a cinematographer, as was the case last night. “Formation” won six times, but looking at who is credited with what job, it looks like Beyoncé herself only won twice. While many moonmen end up in the hands of the stars that made a certain song or video popular, the more technical categories often cite the correct talent, and that’s typically where the trophy winds up.