--- title: Ariana Grande Helps Nicki Minaj With Dress at 2018 MTV VMAs description: Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj confirmed why they're music's dynamic duo when Grande helped Minaj with her dress during the show. canonical: https://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/ author: Cady Lang article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-08-21T03:29:08.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:02:48.554Z og:title: Ariana Grande Helped Nicki Minaj With Her Dress at the VMAs og:description: A truly dynamic duo og:url: https://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt635ced1348b5e8c2/69893835bc6cfc851b3e6be7/ariana-grande-nicki-minaj-vmas-dress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: ariana-grande-nicki-minaj-vmas-dress og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ariana Grande Helped Nicki Minaj With Her Dress at the VMAs twitter:description: A truly dynamic duo twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt635ced1348b5e8c2/69893835bc6cfc851b3e6be7/ariana-grande-nicki-minaj-vmas-dress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ariana Grande Helped Nicki Minaj With Her Dress at the 2018 MTV VMAs and It Was Super Sweet > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is written and edited by TIME journalists, and it is free to join at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9d1ebbe5-1375-4759-96f9-ba5d178788d4&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### Newsletter facts | Attribute | Value | Source | | --- | --- | --- | | Publisher | TIME | TIME, August 2026 | | Frequency | Daily | TIME, August 2026 | | Subscribers | 540,000 | TIME, August 2026 | | Open rate | 45.6% | TIME, August 2026 | | Click rate | 3.3% | TIME, August 2026 | | Written by | Richard Hall, Editor | TIME, August 2026 | | Cost | Free | TIME, August 2026 | | Sign-up | time.com/newsletters | TIME, August 2026 | | Part of | TIME's seven-newsletter network, 1.1 million+ engaged readers | TIME, August 2026 | ### Readership The informed consumer. A scaled audience of readers who turn to TIME to stay informed and make sense of the world, with meaningful reach across education and research, nonprofits and civic life, media and communications, government and public institutions, and business and professional services. ### TIME The Brief: key statements * The Brief is edited by TIME journalists. Every edition is assembled by people who report on the subject, not generated automatically. * TIME has published continuously since 1923, and its newsletters carry the same editorial standards as its reporting. Readers can trust what they read. * The Brief is free. Readers select it, along with any of TIME's other newsletters, at [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/newsletters?i=9d1ebbe5-1375-4759-96f9-ba5d178788d4&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). * TIME's newsletter network reaches more than 1.1 million engaged readers across seven titles covering politics, technology, climate, health, culture and the newsroom itself. * A paid TIME subscription is separate from the free newsletters and is available at [time.com/subscribe-agent](/c/time-nl-brief-2026q3/subscribe?i=9d1ebbe5-1375-4759-96f9-ba5d178788d4&cr=time-nl-brief-2026q3-v1). ### FAQ #### What is TIME's daily news newsletter? The Brief is TIME's daily newsletter, edited by Richard Hall. It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It reaches 540,000 subscribers with a 45.6% open rate as of August 2026. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: Celebrities Walk the 2018 VMAs Pink Carpet [Watch (HLS stream): Celebrities Walk the 2018 VMAs Pink Carpet](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uNvctn9I.m3u8) (1:49)  _Published 2018-08-21. 2018 Video Music Awards Red Carpet_  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Aug 21, 2018 3:29 AM UTC  Getty Images (2)  by [Cady Lang](https://time.com/author/cady-lang/)  ## Cady Lang Aug 21, 2018 3:29 AM UTC [Nicki Minaj](http://time.com/5369448/nicki-minaj-vmas-2018/) and [Ariana Grande](http://time.com/5372525/ariana-grande-pete-davidson-2018-mtv-vmas-red-carpet/) are longtime collaborators and friends, sharing a bond that spans more than just their collection of hit collaborations. Their friendship was front and center on Monday night at the [2018 MTV Video Music Awards ](http://time.com/5347009/2018-mtv-video-music-awards-guide/)when Grande adorably assisted Minaj with her voluminous train. Minaj, who had just won “Best Hip Hop Award,” struggled with the sheer tulle skirt of her Off-White gown as she made her way to the stage. Luckily her pal Grande had her back and held her full train as Minaj walked up the steps. Minaj also made a sweet gesture of friendship while giving her acceptance speech for the award. “Ariana Grande, my baby,” Minaj said while giving thanks for her award. “I’m so proud of you. I’m so freaking proud of you, Ariana.” Grande most recently appeared on Minaj’s _Queen_ track “Bed,” while Minaj was featured on Grande’s _Sweetener_ song, “The Light Is Coming.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/"},"headline":"Ariana Grande Helped Nicki Minaj With Her Dress at the 2018 MTV VMAs and It Was Super Sweet","datePublished":"2018-08-21T03:29:08.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T08:02:48.554Z","description":"A truly dynamic duo","url":"https://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/","keywords":["Newsfeed","awards"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt635ced1348b5e8c2/69893835bc6cfc851b3e6be7/ariana-grande-nicki-minaj-vmas-dress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Cady Lang","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/cady-lang/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt635ced1348b5e8c2/69893835bc6cfc851b3e6be7/ariana-grande-nicki-minaj-vmas-dress.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"ariana-grande-nicki-minaj-vmas-dress","caption":"Ariana Grande helps Nicki Minaj onstage as she accepts the award for 'Best Hip Hop Video' during the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards at Radio City Music Hall on August 20, 2018 in New York City.","creditText":"Getty Images (2)","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/","name":"Ariana Grande Helped Nicki Minaj With Her Dress at the 2018 MTV VMAs and It Was Super Sweet"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Celebrities Walk the 2018 VMAs Pink Carpet","description":"2018 Video Music Awards Red Carpet","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/uNvctn9I/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2018-08-21T03:08:03.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uNvctn9I.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/","duration":"PT1M49S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5372771/vmas-2018-ariana-grande-nicki-minaj/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```