The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards were held September 12, 2021, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, for the primary time in eight years. The 2020 MTV Video Music Awards had been held on August 30, 2020. The show was originally scheduled to happen at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York City, but was moved outdoors because of safety issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.