Skip To Content
  • Viral badge
  • VMAs badge

Olivia Rodrigo's 2023 MTV VMAs Performance Was A Little Confusing, And Selena Gomez's Reaction Said It All

Near the end of "Vampire," something...weird happened.

So Olivia Rodrigo performed at the 2023 MTV VMAs tonight.

closeup of olivia

She performed a few songs from her latest blockbuster album GUTS, including "Vampire" and "Get Him Back!"

olivia on stage with dancers

But near the end of "Vampire," something...weird happened.

olivia singing on stage set in the woods

Basically, there was an intentional stage malfunction that was directly referencing the video for "Vampire."

View this video on YouTube

Geffen / Via youtube.com

Unfortunately, the reference wasn't that obvious to a lot of people watching inside the Prudential Arena and at home.

@RaminSetoodeh / Via Twitter: @RaminSetoodeh

@_loveRachel_ / Via Twitter: @_loveRachel_

@bitchesiswack / Via Twitter: @bitchesiswack

But no one looked more concerned than Selena Gomez:

@ReigningMinaj / MTV / Via Twitter: @ReigningMinaj

@sweeterheavens / Via Twitter: @sweeterheavens

@imsandreaa / MTV / Via Twitter: @imsandreaa

@rnbgirlies / MTV / Via Twitter: @rnbgirlies

And, to be clear — despite what some are already saying online, it seems like she was reacting to the stage malfunction, not Olivia's vocals.

Twitter: @selenuhrrr

So there you have it!

Check out all of our VMAs coverage here.