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MTV VMAs 2016: 20 Best and Worst Moments

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MTV VMAs 2016: 20 Best and Worst Moments

Beyonce's stunning 'Lemonade' spectacle, Kanye's rambling speech, all four of Rihanna's medleys and more highs and lows from MTV's Video Music Awards

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Worst: Host Schizophrenia
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Kevin Kane/Getty10/20
By Christopher R. Weingarten, Hank Shteamer, Suzy Exposito, Keith Harris, Maura Johnston
August 29, 2016

Worst: Host Schizophrenia

This is the sixth VMAs with no host, a situation that causes the night to swirl with directionlessness and confusion. Key & Peele were spotlight stealers with their performance as a pair of social media influencers snarking and self-aggrandizing, but they were clearly doing bits when the night called for leadership ("Why would you cut to us while she's still on stage?" quipped a desperate Peele about Beyoncé, in one of those moments where every joke has a grain of truth). The night was completely schizophrenic bouncing from K&P doing traditional sketch comedy, to DJ Khaled doing his sincere motivational speaker act, to Jay Pharoah doing some accurate but unfunny impressions to Nicole Byer doing a millennial-ish hyperbole ("I'm dead!") that routinely and confusingly crossed the line between "Christopher Guest-style award show commentator" parody and "actual enthusiasm." We can only imagine if MTV just gave Key & Peele the space to provide multiple voices themselves.

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