When George Michael kissed Madonna live on stage at the 1989 MTV Awards
12 January 2021, 17:17
Madonna was presenting George Michael with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1989 MTV Awards when the 'Faith' singer kissed the Queen of Pop in front of the whole world.
It's not every day you get kissed on lips by someone you have a crush on, but that's exactly what happened to Madonna in 1989.
George Michael was being presented the MTV Lifetime Achievement Award – also known as the Video Vanguard Award – when he gave Madonna a sensual kiss on the lips.
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The moment between the two stars aired live to the world on September 6, 1989 from the Universal Amphitheatre in Los Angeles.
Madonna and Paula Abdul were the joint biggest award winners of the night with four awards each, with the Queen of Pop winning Best Direction in A Video, Best Art Direction in a Video and Best Cinematography in a Video for 'Express Yourself', and the highly coveted Viewers Choice Award for 'Like a Prayer.'
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Performances on the night included The Rolling Stones singing 'Mixed Emotions', Jon Bon Jovi giving a rendition of 'Livin' on a Prayer' and Cher's 'If I Could Turn Back Time' and after the performances were nearly over, it was soon time for the last award of the night.
Madonna, smoking a cigarette and accompanied by two smoking backing dancers, comes on stage to present the Video Vanguard Award to "an artist who has made outstanding contributions to the world of music video.
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"He has an excellent voice, he's a great songwriter and he makes very classy videos...ladies and gentlemen, George Michael!"
What follows is a montage of George Michael speaking about his music videos and including clips from 'I Want Your Sex', 'Faith' and 'Monkey', before the cameras cut back to Madonna.
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"George, I Want Your Sex," she says to a wolf whistling crowd. "So be my Father Figure, and I will have Faith if we have to live Hand To Mouth! Ladies and Gentlemen, the diva himself, George Michael!"
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The singer himself then walks out on stage and after waving to the crowd immediately gives Madonna a huge bear hug, before approaching the podium.
As the 'Like A Virgin' singer hands him the famous silver MTV astronaut statue, George leans forward and kisses Madonna gently on the lips as the audience scream.
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The camera then cuts away just as Madonna can be seen smiling before she waves to George and leaves him on stage on his own to make an acceptance speech.
The 1989 MTV Awards took place when George Michael was riding on the coattails of his sex symbol status with Wham!, ten years before he would officially come out as gay and two years before he met the 'love of his life' Anselmo Feleppa.
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MADONNA presents MTV Award to GEORGE MICHAEL in 1989
George Michael talks about Anselmo and the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
The 'Faith' star was singing on stage at a 1991 Rio de Janeiro concert when he locked eyes with Anselmo in the crowd for the first time and nearly forgot his words to the song.
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The extraordinary moment was caught on camera, with George later saying: “At the front of 160,000 people there was this guy over at the right-hand side of the stage that just fixed me with this look."
"He was so cute. I was so distracted by him, I stayed away from that corner, because otherwise I thought I was going to get really distracted and forget the words."
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In 1998, after been arrested for a propositioning an undercover policeman in a Beverley Hills park, George Michael appeared on television to real he was gay for the first time and inspire the world with the words: "I don’t feel any shame whatsoever."
After spending just two years together, George's 'soulmate' Anselmo Feleppa had succumbed to AIDS and died in 1993, leaving George struggling to commit again.
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Andrew Ridgeley on George Michael friendship and Wham's history
"I was so devastated by Anselmo dying. I was in a world of my own. I didn’t attempt any relationship in that time. And then, of course, I met Kenny three years after Anselmo passed away.…" he told the Gay Times in 2007.
"Even though it was a horrendous experience to lose Anselmo, it had been a terrific experience to have my first relationship."
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George went on to meet new partner Kenny Goss and the two dated from 1996 to 2011 - remaining good friends until the star's death in 2016.
The Story of Wham! told by George Michael
