Cardi B Made Funny Moves Onstage at the 2018 MTV VMAs

Cardi B took the stage at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards for her first big moment since giving birth to her daughter Kulture in July with a joke.

The “Bartier Cardi” rapper opened the show clutching a baby-shaped blanket, only to reveal a moon man award and introduce Shawn Mendes “In My Blood.” It was the ultimate fakeout for those waiting to see the prodigal child. In so doing, she gave us an unforgettable image of the evening.

After dropping out of the fall leg of Bruno Mars’s 24K Magic World Tour to give herself more time to “recover mentally and physically,” Cardi announced on Instagram that she would return to the stage for one night at this year’s VMAs.

Subscribe to TIME

Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now.

Please enter a valid email address.

* The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again.

Sign Up Now

An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later.

Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME.

You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you!

For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder.

Write to Megan McCluskey at megan.mccluskey@time.com.