Surprise Adam Lambert Performance Caps Hit-Filled George Michael Tribute at 2026 VMAs

Adam Lambert taking the stage as part of the George Michael VMAs tribute. Kevin Winter/Getty Images

When Sombr, Raye and Teddy Swims were announced as paying tribute to George Michael timed to nearly 40 years since the release of his Faith album and ahead of a live Faith tour album and feature-length film being released later this year, it seemed like the VMAs segment honoring Michael, who died in 2016, would mostly consist of songs from Faith.

But the musicians and surprise performer Adam Lambert, who hadn’t been announced as part of the performance before he walked out onstage Sunday night, went beyond the 1987 album, performing Michael’s Wham! hit “Careless Whisper” and even iconic later single “Freedom ’90,” also known for its supermodel-filled music video.

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Sombr took the stage, after an intro from Orville Peck, wearing Michael’s actual customized leather jacket from the Faith era, which Michael wore on the Faith tour and in a Diet Coke commercial, and performing “Faith” as he walked past video screens of Michael in that video. He later segued into another Faith hit, “Father Figure.”

https://twitter.com/MTV/status/2104396153890754869

The performance moved over to Raye, who delivered a soulful rendition of Michael’s Aretha Franklin duet “I Knew You Were Waiting,” which wasn’t on Faith, complete with golden lighting, smoke and sepia-toned images of Michael.

I knew you were waiting for me to post this @raye clip 😌 from her George Michael tribute at the #VMAs. pic.twitter.com/cUGLKCo98H
— MTV (@MTV) September 28, 2026

The camera then shifted to a saxophone player, performing the opening of “Careless Whisper,” which Teddy Swims performed from a platform surrounded by searchlights.

Nothing careless about the way @teddyswims took on this George Michael classic 🥹 #VMAs pic.twitter.com/r8Bm4vdKQf
— MTV (@MTV) September 28, 2026

Then Lambert strutted out from backstage to perform “Freedom,” for a triumphant finish.

https://twitter.com/vmas/status/2104394642183905776

The tribute comes less than a decade after Michael died of heart failure at the age of 53 over the Christmas holiday in 2016. And the performance honoring the late singer, songwriter and record producer comes nearly 40 years after the 1987 release of his hit album Faith, the tour for which is being celebrated through a live album out Nov. 6 and feature-length film in U.S. theaters Dec. 11. In addition to the title track, Faith spawned such hit singles as “I Want Your Sex,” “One More Try” and “Father Figure,” which was reimagined by fellow 2026 VMAs honoree Taylor Swift on her latest album The Life of a Showgirl, the Encore edition of which was released Friday with four additional tracks, including single “Patient Zero,” the video for which Swift released during the show. Swift received the inaugural MTV VMA Artist Director Honor at the awards ceremony.

Michael won four VMAs over the course of his career and received the Video Vanguard Award in 1989.

Raye, who performed a solo rendition of her hit “WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!,” was nominated for two VMAs this year. Sombr is up for three awards. Swims was last on the VMA stage in 2024, when he was a four-time nominee and is set to release his next album, Ugly on Jan. 22, 2027.

The 2026 VMAs, hosted by Snoop Dogg from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, aired live coast-to-coast on CBS and MTV and streamed on Paramount+ Premium in the U.S. In addition to the Michael tribute, the ceremony featured a tribute to Dolly Parton, led by Kacey Musgraves. Nirvana was recognized with the Video Vanguard Award.