It was the kiss seen around the world — but the second kiss was seen far less, thanks to a quick cutaway.
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At the 2003 MTV VMAs (which aired 20 years ago this week), Britney Spears opened the show singing Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” with Christina Aguilera. The duo wore white wedding gowns and veils in a callback to Madonna’s iconic 1984 performance at the same awards show. When Madonna herself came onstage as the groom, there was, of course, a kiss. Her and Spears locked lips before she did the same with Aguilera.
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But the Britney/Madonna kiss became far more notable. It was first, after all, and right after, the broadcast cut to Spears’ ex, Justin Timberlake, in the crowd, for a reaction shot. In doing so, the subsequent Christina/Madonna smooch got short shrift.
The weight of that lies a bit on Alex Coletti, who produced the 2003 show.
“The tricky thing was you couldn’t go from that reaction shot and get back to Christina in time,” Coletti recently told Yahoo. “Christina got slighted a bit. It was never about how Madonna kissed Britney and Christina. It was always known as the ‘Britney/Madonna kiss.’ And I feel bad for that.”
Coletti has production credits in dozens of other specials, including several Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and MTV Unplugged shows. That decision to cut to Timberlake lied with awards show director Beth McCarthy-Miller. But Coletti commented on the lack of social media during 2003, which created a slow-build effect for the kiss’ legacy and its effects given Aguilera’s snub.
“There was no echo-chamber,” Coletti said. “Things didn’t spread that fast back then. No one had the technology to watch it and respond in real time.”
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In 2018, Aguilera reflected on the 2003 VMAs moment with Andy Cohen and praised her own performance of “Fighter” with Dave Navarro later in the show. “I remember looking at the newspaper the next day and going, ‘Oh, well I guess I got left out of that one,'” she said. “I was okay with that. [Britney] could have the kiss.”
In the years since, Coletti has looked back on the moment with a bit of regret, though ultimately, he conceded that it was a standout moment for both stars.
“I do feel bad because the controversy was always going to be about Britney, just based on their images,” Coletti said. “Britney was the sweet schoolgirl, and Christina had an edgier image. But I thought it was great to see them both up there together. I sensed no rivalry between them in that experience, and it wasn’t positioned in the performance that way. That never manifested in the performance or in the rehearsals in any way.”
This year’s VMA show airs on September 12. Who will lock lips during the 2023 broadcast?
Photo by Kevin Mazur Archive/WireImage
