Which artist had the most nominations at the 1985 MTV VMAs?

“Which artist had the most nominations at the 1985 MTV VMAs?” — David Lee Roth had the most nominations.

Roth received eight nominations at the 1985 ceremony, more than any other artist. They were divided between two videos: five nominations for “Just a Gigolo/I Ain’t Got Nobody” and three for “California Girls.” Despite leading the field, Roth did not win an award that night.

The ceremony aired on September 13, 1985, at Radio City Music Hall and honored videos released during the preceding eligibility period. Don Henley was the evening’s biggest winner, taking four awards, including Video of the Year for “The Boys of Summer.” Henley’s video was also the single most nominated video, with seven nominations.

A frequent source of confusion is the distinction between an artist’s total nominations and a single video’s nominations. Lindsey Buckingham and Henley each had seven artist nominations, while Roth’s two videos combined for eight. Bryan Adams followed with six, and Madonna, Eurythmics, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers each received five. Roth’s strong showing reflected MTV’s emphasis on both music and highly theatrical video presentation.