Snoop Dogg is adding another major job to a career that has already stretched from hip-hop and television to the Olympics: hosting the MTV Video Music Awards.

CBS and MTV have announced that the West Coast rap legend will host the 2026 VMAs on Sunday, Sept. 27, when the awards show returns to Los Angeles for the first time since 2017.

The ceremony will air live from Los Angeles from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET on CBS, simulcast on MTV and stream live for Paramount+ Premium subscribers in the United States.

For Snoop, the assignment represents something of a full-circle moment.

The Long Beach rapper has been connected to MTV and the VMAs for more than three decades, dating back to the explosive early years of his career in the 1990s. Now, at 54, he will be the person responsible for guiding one of music television's most unpredictable nights.

More Than 30 Years of VMA History

Snoop's relationship with the VMAs dates to 1994, when he made his first main-stage appearance at the awards show.

He has since accumulated 13 VMA nominations and three victories, according to CBS and MTV.

His history with the show includes several memorable appearances across different eras of his career.

In 2005, Snoop participated in a tribute to the Notorious B.I.G. He later returned to the VMA stage in 2022 alongside Eminem for a performance built around the Otherside metaverse.

Those appearances span nearly three decades, reflecting Snoop's unusual longevity in an industry where careers often move quickly.

Hosting puts him in an entirely different position.

Instead of appearing for one performance or presenting an award, Snoop will serve as the face connecting the entire broadcast.

The VMAs Are Coming Back to Los Angeles

Snoop's selection also fits the location.

The 2026 ceremony marks the VMAs' first return to the West Coast since the awards were held at The Forum in Inglewood in 2017. This year's show will take place at the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Putting one of Southern California's most recognizable hip-hop figures at the center of that return gives the ceremony an unmistakably West Coast connection.

Snoop emerged from Long Beach in the early 1990s and became a central figure in the rise of West Coast hip-hop through his collaborations with Dr. Dre and his landmark debut album, Doggystyle.

More than three decades later, his public profile extends far beyond rap.

Snoop has become a television personality, entrepreneur and frequent major-event personality, including his highly visible role during NBC's coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Now MTV is handing him its biggest stage.

Madonna Will Open the Show

Snoop won't be the only veteran music icon playing a major role in this year's ceremony.

Madonna is scheduled to open the 2026 VMAs, marking her first performance on the show in 23 years.

Additional performers announced by CBS and MTV include Gunna, LISA, RAYE, Shaboozey, Sienna Spiro, GENER8ION and Yung Lean.

The combination gives the show a lineup that reaches across multiple generations and genres while putting Snoop at the center of the broadcast.

For the rapper, the hosting assignment adds another unlikely chapter to a career that began during hip-hop's early-1990s explosion.

He entered MTV as one of rap's biggest new stars.

More than 30 years later, when the VMAs return to Los Angeles, Snoop Dogg will be running the show.