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Miley Cyrus has a difficult history with the VMAs. She was perhaps one of the last “MTV artists,” one of the last pop artists who really benefited from MTV, and whose career was shaped by her MTV appearances. But she’s also the woman who twerked on Robin Thicke, couldn’t keep her tongue in her mouth and became a national talking point. Oh, and let’s not forget the time Nicki Minaj called her out at the VMAs (the “WHAT’S GOOD” heard ‘round the world). All in all, Miley needs MTV and MTV needs Miley.

So Miley decided to make her first public appearance, following Liam Hemsworth’s divorce filing, at the VMAs. She didn’t walk the carpet, but she performed. She performed her new song “Slide Away,” which she released as a “it’s all Liam’s fault” argument, something about whiskey and pills. MTV agreed to show the performance in black & white, for artsy reasons. Something nice: her body looks great these days. Something not nice: her hair is a complete tragedy, made worse by the “wet look.”

An okay performance. The set design and the pared-down performance reminded me of some of Rihanna’s Grammy/VMA/AMA performances. After the VMAs, Miley was seen leaving with Kaitlynn Carter. Kaitlynn was apparently there, at the VMAs, backstage during the show.

Miley Cyrus and Kaitlynn Carter coupled up for some post-#VMAs fun! https://t.co/V2cqdrGXM3

— JustJared.com (@JustJared) August 27, 2019

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Photos courtesy of Getty.