The Italian hard rock band Måneskin performed at the 2022 VMAs on Sunday night, August 28th, with their latest single, "Supermodel," and drew attention due to alleged censorship during their performance.
Viewers noticed that part of the band's performance was not televised, raising questions about possible censorship by MTV or a live production and editing error. While the audio of the performance continued to play, the images cut to what appeared to be a loop of the VMAs facilities.
Some fans speculated about vocalist Damiano David , who was wearing provocative, fetish-inspired leather pants, but David didn't seem to be the problem. After the performance, some fans pointed out that the dress bassist Victoria De Angelis was wearing appeared to slip off her shoulder, leaving her semi-nude on stage.
Watching closely, it's possible to see the moment the incident happens and the first camera cut, returning shortly after to show that the bassist's dress had been readjusted. Not long after, however, the camera captures its longest cut of the performance, and when it returns, Victoria seems to no longer be on stage. Check it out:
VMAs for 'Best New Artist' and 'Best Alternative Video'
In addition to performing on the VMAs stage, the Italian band Måneskin was also nominated in two categories. They didn't win the 'Best New Artist' award, which went to pop singer Dove Cameron , but they did win 'Best Alternative Video' with their hit "I Wanna Be Your Slave".
The group was one of the few rock acts present at the awards ceremony, as was the Red Hot Chili Peppers , who received the night's honorary award in the 'Global Icon' category.
