Ariana Grande was left stunned by Yungblud and Steven Tyler‘s tribute to Ozzy Osbourne at the 2025 VMAs – watch footage of her reaction below.
- READ MORE: Ozzy Osbourne, 1948-2025: culture-smashing revolutionary that redefined rock and reality TV
The 42nd Video Music Awards took place at the UBS Arena in Long Island, New York on Sunday night (September 7), with Grande one of the biggest winners of the night, walking away with trophies for Best Pop and Best Long Form Videos as well as Best Pop Artist.
The likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Lady Gaga and Mariah Carey were all tapped for performances, with a portion of the evening also dedicated to the late Black Sabbath frontman, who passed away in July at the age of 76.
Yungblud kicked off the tribute performance with a cover of Ozzy’s solo hit ‘Crazy Train’, backed by guitarist Nuno Bettencourt, later slowing things down with his celebrated and Ozzy-approved cover of Black Sabbath‘s ‘Changes’.
Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry later joined him to take on ‘Mama, I’m Coming Home’. Grande was later seen in clips shared by MTV looking aghast as she watched on, raising her hands to her head as she appeared increasingly more stunned and clapping in awe of their vocals.
Could hardly believe the talent on the #VMAs stage honoring @OzzyOsbourne tonight — and we weren’t the only ones 🖤 pic.twitter.com/dqtpfJBkXi
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) September 8, 2025
Yungblud had taken to Instagram ahead of the performance, vowing: “I’ll try my best to do you proud Oz. Tune in from up there. I love you forever.”
He was also a part of the ‘Back To The Beginning’ Black Sabbath farewell show in Birmingham back in July, an event that took on extra poignancy when Osbourne died less than three weeks later. Yungblud led a supergroup that also included Bettencourt, as well as II from Sleep Token and Adam Wakeman of Ozzy Osbourne’s solo band.
They performed the Sabbath ballad ‘Changes’, and after Osbourne’s death, Yungblud vowed to play the song at every show “for the rest of my life”, adding: “To sing this song for you at an event surrounded by legends inspired by you to a crowd who loved you was truly my life’s greatest honour.”
He later spoke to NME about the impact that Ozzy has had on his career. “Ozzy was a character in my life who was a reflection of everything I went through,” he said. “I was always a bit over the top. I was always seen to be a bit crazy. I was always seen to be a bit loud, but when some people saw that as a negative, Ozzy would provide me with the hope that there was an avenue for someone like me in the world.
“From such a young age, he really inspired me. Then, to know him as a friend towards the end, to know his heart, and to know Sharon Osbourne… I really started to understand that they did things their way. It’s always been inspirational because, for me, the biggest enemy to any artist or anything is the phrase, ‘This is just how it’s done’. That’s a cop out. ‘This is how it’s done’ was once an innovative idea that got stale.
“All I care about are the people outside, and I want to make this the most magical adventure for them, and something that we’re gonna have together. [Ozzy’s death] is still raw at the minute. It’s been a very weird couple of weeks. But losing someone I admired and got to know really made me think about the idea of legacy and connection with people. All that matters is the connection with them.”
Yungblud also broke down in tears during a performance of ‘Changes’ in the US recently, while Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler described one of his shows as the “best” he’d seen in years.
Elsewhere at the MTV VMAs 2025, Lady Gaga was crowned Artist Of The Year, Rosé and Bruno Mars won Song Of The Year for ‘APT.’ and Mariah Carey has been awarded the Video Vanguard award for her historic career. Check out the full list of winners here.