What time are the VMAs on Sunday?

MTV’s biggest night, the Video Music Awards, airs tonight, Sunday, August 28th. We double check: What time do the VMAs start?

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The Video Music Awards air tonight on MTV. It’s far from “Music’s Biggest Night’ or even “Music’s Most Annoying Night” (That’s the AMAs, the American Music Awards.) Once upon a time, it might have been considered “Music’s Trashiest Night,” but that was back in the 1980s, when MTV was actually wall to wall music videos all day, and groups like Poison and Guns’n’Roses showed up coked up and sloppy all over the place, while Madonna sailed by in a stripper wedding gown.

Nowadays, the VMAs are “Music’s Surprisingly Most Recognizable Night.” Those who have aged out of the 13-17 year old demographic that MTV once ruled might assume, if they tuned in, they would not know a single damn name on the nomination ballot. But they’d be wrong. MTV determined nominates mega-mainstream artists, such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, Kanye West and The Weeknd. Thi way, they not only attempt to guarantee a red carpet full of faces you know, but performances by them as well.

Speaking of the Red Carpet, what is the schedule this evening? We’ve got it all right here for you!

• VMA Red Carpet Arrivals: The red carpet is as much an event for this show as the show itself, and it runs just as long. Starting at 7pm EST, the “Live from the Red Carpet” runs two full hours, until 9pm.
• The first hour of red carpet coverage is a streamed only hour. The broadcast on MTV will begin at 8pm. Streaming is on MTV.com. You can also watch on MTV’s Facebook stream in HD, as long as you’ve liked their page. Or download their app and stream it on your mobile device. (Sorry E! fans, there’s no secondary broadcast on the Entertainment network.)

• The MTV preshow will begin at 8pm, and, on broadcast TV, will be mixed in with the Red Carpet coverage. Personally, I suggest streaming the carpet on your laptop and watching the preshow on TV.
• The actual show commences at 9pm, broadcasting live from Madison Square Garden.
• Technically the show is scheduled to end at 11:30pm, but that’s only if there isn’t a total trainwreck in the middle of it. Whenever it does conclude, the “Post-Show” will then kick into gear. The post show will be streaming only, on MTV’s Facebook page, or their website.

Some things we do know about the show:

• Rihanna is confirmed as the opening act.
• Britney Spears is also scheduled to perform.
• Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj are performing Grande’s latest single “Side by Side.”
• DJ duo The Chainsmokers will perform “Closer” with Halsey.
• Nick Jonas will perform with Ty Dolla $ign on their single, “Bacon.”
• Taylor Swift will not be attending, despite the song she wrote for ex-Calvin Harris being nominated.
• Beyoncé, having been given more nominations in a single year in order to get her to grace the channel with her presence, is rumored to be performing but still not confirmed.

And finally, there is no host this year. Instead, Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele will be this evening’s MCs, but in character, as “The Shamester” and “Lizard Sheeple.”  Hopefully that will be delightful enough in an of itself for people to tune in.

Next: What will Kanye do with four unsupervised minutes at the VMAs?

The MTV VMAs air tonight with red carpet beforehand, from 6:15pm-11:30pm. We’ll be livetweeting.