![Britney Spears, Madonna and Christina Aguilera](https://www.billboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/Britney-Spears-Madonna-and-Christina-Aguilera-2003-vma-billboard-1548.jpg?w=1024)
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It’s essentially the most well-known triple same-sex kiss in MTV Video Music Awards historical past. However chances are high you solely bear in mind two-thirds of it, regardless of reported efforts from Christina Aguilera‘s staff to re-re-write the narrative to right what they noticed as essentially the most egregious cut-away in pop historical past.
In a brand new Rolling Stone story trying again on the 2003 MTV VMAs that opened with a shock look from OG MTV star Madonna, former MTV president Van Toffler broke down his choice to kick off the published with a call-back to the “Like a Virgin” singer’s legendary 1984 efficiency on the primary VMAs.
“I don’t should encourage Madonna to go over-the-top,” Toffler advised the journal on the twentieth anniversary of the kiss-heard-’round-the-world. “That’s in her DNA. We have been simply saying, ‘We’re gonna offer you loads of actual property. It’s an enormous second.’ We talked about visitor performers.”
And, as common, Madonna delivered by kissing her pop progeny, Britney Spears and Aguilera, on the mouth in a bit that whipped up a media frenzy at a time earlier than such awards present provocations grew to become commonplace.
However what most individuals bear in mind is the Britney and Madonna half, after which the digicam slicing away to Britney’s ex, Justin Timberlake, who appeared unsettled by the provocative efficiency piece.
In accordance with RS, behind the scenes, Aguilera’s staff was upset with the cutaway, with Toffler saying it “brought on slightly little bit of grief coming my method… It didn’t make life simpler that evening, however it’s important to make selections in a reside present. Generally you’re flawed and typically you’re proper, however I believe the fantastic thing about the VMAs was the combustibility. You needed to make it enjoyable and semi-chaotic. That’s what we did.”
Former MTV govt vp Tom Calderone advised RS that Aguilera’s staff requested MTV to re-edit the efficiency for future re-broadcasts to incorporate the Aguilera lip lock, a request the community didn’t adjust to. A spokesperson for Aguilera had no touch upon the report and RS mentioned the singer declined to answer their story.
Aguilera — who’s not represented by anybody from her staff on the time of the kiss — mentioned the cut-away was “bizarre” in a 2018 interview with Andy Cohen. “, why they lower away for it… to get Justin’s response,” she mentioned, noting that Brit and Justin have been exes on the time and calling the edit a “low cost shot.” When Cohen famous that some individuals won’t have realized Xtina was part of the kiss, she mentioned she positively noticed headlines the following day and her response was, “‘Oh properly, I suppose I received omitted of that.’” The RS story doesn’t contact on whether or not Aguilera was conscious on the time that her staff had made the re-cut request.
(You may see a rehearsal of the efficiency, with out the Timberlake edit, here.)
The piece additionally famous that earlier than the published, Toffler and his staff initially heard that Madonna had recruited Spears and Missy Elliott — who prolonged the efficiency with a run by her track “Work It” — in addition to Jennifer Lopez, who was using excessive on the time because of her hits “Jenny From the Block” and “All I Have.” Lopez, nonetheless, needed to drop out as a result of she’d dedicated to shoot the film Shall We Dance? that summer season.
In accordance with the story, Madonna selected Spears and Lopez due to their dancing potential, however subbing in Aguilera added the additional layer of intrigue the VMAs have develop into infamous for because of her media-whipped teen pop rivalry with fellow ex All-New Mickey Mouse Membership alum Spears.
RS reported that Madonna — all the time a crafty narrative mastermind — needed as few individuals as attainable to know her plans for the efficiency that may open with “Like a Virgin” and have Spears and Aguilera standing astride a large hydraulic marriage ceremony cake from which Madonna would later emerge. The plan was to change to Madge’s then-new single, “Hollywood,” then throw to Elliott and finish with a reprise of “Hollywood.”
The restricted view of rehearsals that MTV execs received appeared largely like the worldwide famous person placing her expenses by their paces, till two weeks earlier than air when VMAs director Beth McCarthy-Miller known as Toffler to let him know what to anticipate. “’You’re not going to have the ability to inform anybody, however I believe that is going to make you content,’” Toffler remembered her saying. “‘Madonna kisses Britney and Christina.’”
Embracing the sort of viral second that MTV relished lengthy earlier than there was a reputation for it, the MTV staff reportedly broke out in triumphant high-fives at what they knew can be a one-of-a-kind TV phase. With Aguilera and Spears dressed as veiled brides singing “Like a Virgin” and rolling on the bottom, Madonna emerged in shiny black coattails and prime hat as their “groom,” with producers sprinkling in fast seems to be at viewers members in actual time.
There was Beyoncé smiling and clapping, Avril Lavigne and Kelly Osborne trying bored, Madonna’s then-husband director Man Ritchie giving a standing ovation, in addition to pictures of Eminem and 50 Cent and the unique Queer Eye For the Straight Man forged freaking out. Most significantly, they made certain to incorporate a shot of Timberlake, who raised a playful eyebrow on the website of the three on stage dancing sensually.
However 30 seconds later, after Madonna took off Aguilera’s garter and locked lips with Spears, affiliate director Stefani Cohen lower away from Aguilera’s kiss to give attention to Timberlake once more, who this time had a seemingly aggravated expression on his face. It was a split-second modifying choice that the story says was a “no-brainer” contemplating that Timberlake had forged Britney look-alike in his shade-throwing “Cry Me a River” video a yr earlier within the wake of their break up
“It’s simply quintessential Madonna,” Toffler mentioned of the basic MTV awards present stunt. “You give Madonna the germ of an thought or simply the true property, and she or he’s going to take it. She had a historical past of pushing us and pushing tradition, and that’s what was nice about her and what was nice about MTV. We pushed tradition in provocative methods.”
Watch the TV model of the kiss here.