Few entertainment awards have celebrated on-screen romance, chemistry, comedy, and pop-culture moments quite like the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss. Introduced at the first MTV Movie Awards in 1992, the category quickly became one of the ceremony’s most recognizable and entertaining honors.
Unlike traditional acting awards, Best Kiss focuses on a very specific moment in a movie or television production. Over the years, the nominees have included everything from heartfelt romantic scenes to unexpected comedic moments and groundbreaking same-sex kisses. The category has also reflected changing audience tastes and the evolving relationship between MTV and popular culture.
The first winner was Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin for My Girl in 1992. Decades later, the category was incorporated into the MTV Movie & TV Awards, where television and streaming performances became increasingly important.
This guide explores the history of the award, memorable winners, notable nominees, record-setting performances, and why the category remains such an interesting part of MTV awards history.
What Is the MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss?
The Best Kiss category recognizes an outstanding or memorable kissing scene from a movie or, later, a television production.
The category is intentionally different from more conventional awards. Rather than honoring an entire performance, film, or series, it highlights one specific moment and the chemistry between the performers involved.
Over the years, nominated scenes have ranged from traditional romantic moments to comedic and unconventional performances.
This flexibility helped make the category particularly popular with MTV’s audience.
When Did the Award Begin?
The award was introduced in 1992, during the inaugural MTV Movie Awards.
Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin won the first Best Kiss award for My Girl. Their win established a category that would become a recurring part of the ceremony for decades.
MTV Best Kiss Winners: The Early Years
The 1990s established the basic identity of the category. Romantic comedies, dramas, action films, and popular mainstream movies all competed for the golden popcorn trophy.
1992: Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin — My Girl
The first-ever winners were Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin for My Girl.
The category’s inaugural nominees also included Anjelica Huston and Raúl Juliá from The Addams Family, Annette Bening and Warren Beatty from Bugsy, Juliette Lewis and Robert De Niro from Cape Fear, and Priscilla Presley and Leslie Nielsen from The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear.
1993: Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei — Untamed Heart
Christian Slater and Marisa Tomei won the award in 1993 for Untamed Heart.
Other nominees included Michelle Pfeiffer and Michael Keaton from Batman Returns, Winona Ryder and Gary Oldman from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mel Gibson and Rene Russo from Lethal Weapon 3, and other notable pairings.
1994: Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson — Indecent Proposal
Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson took the trophy in 1994 for Indecent Proposal.
The nominees included Patricia Arquette and Christian Slater for True Romance, Winona Ryder and Ethan Hawke for Reality Bites, and other memorable pairings from major 1990s films.
The category was already demonstrating MTV’s willingness to mix romance, drama, comedy, and unconventional choices.
1995: Jim Carrey and Lauren Holly — Dumb and Dumber
Jim Carrey and Lauren Holly won in 1995 for Dumb and Dumber.
That year’s nominees included Julie Delpy and Ethan Hawke from Before Sunrise, Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves from Speed, Jamie Lee Curtis and Arnold Schwarzenegger from True Lies, and Juliette Lewis and Woody Harrelson from Natural Born Killers.
Memorable Best Kiss Winners of the 1990s
The second half of the decade produced several highly recognizable winners.
Will Smith and Vivica A. Fox won in 1997 for Independence Day, while Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore won in 1998 for The Wedding Singer. Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes followed in 1999 for Shakespeare in Love.
The 1999 nominees also included George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez for Out of Sight, Matt Dillon, Denise Richards and Neve Campbell for Wild Things, Jeremy Irons and Dominique Swain for Lolita, and Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz for There’s Something About Mary.
2000: A Landmark Win for Cruel Intentions
One of the most memorable moments in MTV Movie Awards history came in 2000.
Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair won Best Kiss for their scene in Cruel Intentions. The moment later became an important part of conversations about representation at the MTV Movie Awards.
The win demonstrated that Best Kiss was not limited to conventional male-female romantic pairings.
It also helped establish the category as a place where MTV could recognize scenes that generated significant discussion among younger audiences.
2001–2004: Romance, Comedy, and Blockbusters
The early 2000s brought another series of recognizable winners.
Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas won in 2001 for Save the Last Dance. In 2002, Jason Biggs and Seann William Scott won for American Pie 2. Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst followed in 2003 for Spider-Man.
The 2003 competition was particularly notable because it included several major productions. Nominees included Nick Cannon and Zoe Saldaña from Drumline, Leonardo DiCaprio and Cameron Diaz from Gangs of New York, Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar from Scooby-Doo, and Adam Sandler and Emily Watson from Punch-Drunk Love.
In 2004, Carmen Electra, Amy Smart, and Owen Wilson won for Starsky & Hutch. The nominees included scenes from Bruce Almighty, The Matrix Reloaded, X2, and Monster.
2005: Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams — The Notebook
One of the most famous Best Kiss wins came in 2005 when Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams won for The Notebook.
The award became particularly memorable because the pair recreated their famous rain-soaked kiss onstage. At the time, Gosling and McAdams were also romantically involved in real life, adding another layer of excitement to the moment.
The scene and the award ceremony moment became closely associated with the romantic legacy of The Notebook.
2006: Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger — Brokeback Mountain
In 2006, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger won Best Kiss for Brokeback Mountain.
The win was culturally significant because it showed MTV’s willingness to recognize a same-sex romantic scene in a mainstream awards category. The film itself had already generated major discussion surrounding representation, love, identity, and social expectations.
The award therefore represented more than a memorable movie moment. It also became part of the broader history of LGBTQ+ representation in popular entertainment.
2007–2008: Comedy and Teen Romance
Will Ferrell and Sacha Baron Cohen won in 2007 for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. Their win reflected the category’s long-standing willingness to recognize comedic performances alongside traditional romantic scenes.
In 2008, Briana Evigan and Robert Hoffman won for Step Up 2: The Streets.
These years showed that Best Kiss did not necessarily have to be a serious romantic moment. Comedy and unexpected chemistry could be just as memorable to MTV viewers.
2009–2012: The Twilight Era
Few performers have dominated the category like Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.
The pair won Best Kiss for four consecutive years from 2009 through 2012 for their performances in The Twilight Saga.
This four-year run is one of the defining records in Best Kiss history.
Why Twilight Dominated the Category
The Twilight franchise had an enormous fan base, particularly among younger audiences.
The relationship between Bella Swan and Edward Cullen became one of the central elements of the series, and MTV’s voting-driven awards format allowed fans to show their enthusiasm.
The repeated victories demonstrated the power of passionate fan communities in shaping popular awards.
The 2011 ceremony became especially memorable when Pattinson surprised viewers by kissing Taylor Lautner rather than simply repeating the expected Stewart-Pattinson moment.
2013–2016: A New Generation of Winners
Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper won in 2013 for Silver Linings Playbook. The following year, Emma Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, and Will Poulter won for We’re the Millers.
In 2015, Shailene Woodley and Ansel Elgort won for The Fault in Our Stars. Their nominees included scenes from The Girl Next Door, Garden State, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, and Elektra.
Rebel Wilson and Adam DeVine won in 2016 for Pitch Perfect 2.
The 2016 nominees also included Margot Robbie from Focus, Ryan Reynolds and Morena Baccarin from Deadpool, Leslie Mann and Chris Hemsworth from Vacation, and Bill Hader and Amy Schumer from Trainwreck.
2017–2018: Representation and Changing Television Culture
The category continued to evolve in the late 2010s.
Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome won in 2017 for Moonlight. The film had received significant critical attention, and the win continued the Best Kiss category’s history of recognizing LGBTQ+ romantic representation.
In 2018, Nick Robinson and Keiynan Lonsdale won for Love, Simon.
These wins demonstrated how the category had expanded beyond the traditional Hollywood romance.
The Transition to MTV Movie & TV Awards
As television and streaming became increasingly important to entertainment culture, MTV expanded the ceremony into the MTV Movie & TV Awards.
The Best Kiss category consequently began recognizing scenes from television and streaming series alongside movies.
This change significantly broadened the types of performances eligible for recognition.
2021 Best Kiss Nominees and Winner
The 2021 nominees included Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline from Outer Banks, Jodie Comer and Sandra Oh from Killing Eve, Lily Collins and Lucas Bravo from Emily in Paris, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Jaren Lewison from Never Have I Ever, and Regé-Jean Page and Phoebe Dynevor from Bridgerton.
Chase Stokes and Madelyn Cline won the award for Outer Banks.
The nominees illustrated how streaming television had become a major part of MTV’s awards culture.
2022 Best Kiss: An Unusual Winner
The 2022 category produced one of the most unexpected results in its history.
Sean “Poopies” McInerney and a snake from Jackass Forever won Best Kiss. The other nominees included Hunter Schafer and Dominic Fike from Euphoria, Lily Collins and Lucien Laviscount from Emily in Paris, Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz from The Batman, and Tom Holland and Zendaya from Spider-Man: No Way Home.
The result perfectly captured the category’s humorous and unpredictable identity.
2023 Best Kiss: Outer Banks
The 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards featured another Outer Banks victory.
Madison Bailey and Rudy Pankow won Best Kiss. The nominees included Anna Torv and Philip Prajoux from The Last of Us, Harry Styles and David Dawson from My Policeman, Riley Keough and Sam Claflin from Daisy Jones & The Six, and Selena Gomez and Cara Delevingne from Only Murders in the Building.
This lineup showed just how far the category had evolved from its movie-only beginnings.
Most Memorable Best Kiss Trends
Looking across the history of the award, several patterns stand out.
Romantic Movies Remain Important
Films such as The Notebook, The Fault in Our Stars, and Silver Linings Playbook produced winners that connected strongly with audiences.
Comedy Has Always Had a Place
From Dumb and Dumber to Talladega Nights and Pitch Perfect 2, comedic kisses have repeatedly competed successfully.
Representation Has Expanded
The victories for Cruel Intentions, Brokeback Mountain, Moonlight, and Love, Simon demonstrate how the category has recognized different forms of romantic representation over time.
Fan Culture Matters
The four consecutive Twilight victories show how passionate fan communities can influence MTV’s audience-driven awards.
Why the Best Kiss Award Remains Popular
The category succeeds because it is easy for audiences to understand.
Viewers do not need to know every technical aspect of filmmaking to have an opinion about a memorable on-screen kiss. A single scene can generate excitement, laughter, romance, controversy, or nostalgia.
The category also allows MTV to celebrate moments that may not fit neatly into traditional award categories.
That combination of accessibility and entertainment has helped Best Kiss remain one of the most recognizable MTV Movie Award categories.
5 FAQs About MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss Winners & Nominees
1. Who won the first MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss?
Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin won the first Best Kiss award in 1992 for My Girl.
2. Who has won Best Kiss the most times?
Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson hold the standout record, winning Best Kiss four consecutive times from 2009 through 2012 for The Twilight Saga.
3. Did the MTV Best Kiss category include television?
Yes. After the awards evolved into the MTV Movie & TV Awards, television and streaming productions became eligible. The 2021, 2022, and 2023 nominee lists included numerous television and streaming series.
4. Who won Best Kiss in 2022?
Sean “Poopies” McInerney and a snake won Best Kiss for Jackass Forever.
5. Who won Best Kiss in 2023?
Madison Bailey and Rudy Pankow won Best Kiss for Outer Banks at the 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Conclusion
The history of MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss winners & nominees is really a history of changing entertainment culture. What began in 1992 with Anna Chlumsky and Macaulay Culkin’s win for My Girl developed into one of MTV’s most recognizable categories.
Over the years, the award has celebrated romantic dramas, blockbuster movies, comedies, teen franchises, LGBTQ+ representation, television series, streaming productions, and even an unforgettable kiss involving a snake.
Some winners became iconic because of their romantic chemistry. Others stood out because they were funny, unexpected, culturally significant, or supported by enormous fan communities.
The four consecutive victories by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson remain one of the category’s defining achievements, while winners such as Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams, Sarah Michelle Gellar and Selma Blair, Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger, Ashton Sanders and Jharrel Jerome, and Nick Robinson and Keiynan Lonsdale helped make the award part of wider pop-culture conversations.
Ultimately, the appeal of Best Kiss is its simplicity. It celebrates a single cinematic or television moment that audiences remember. Whether that moment is romantic, funny, surprising, or groundbreaking, the category has consistently captured the kind of scenes that become part of entertainment history.
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