Christina Aguilera Had One Issue With Her Infamous VMAs Kiss With Madonna

Even though Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears were two of the biggest pop foes of the early '00s,they put their differences aside long enough to create MTV VMA history in 2003. The pop icons joined Madonna onstage during her performance medley, acted as background dancers, and even performed an eight-count with the legend. And while the collaboration of three of pop music's biggest names would have been memorable enough, Aguilera and Spears kicked things up a notch by trading kisses with Madonna.   

Naturally, the controversial kiss kept the entertainment circuit quite busy. Of course, people fixated most on the reaction of Spears' very recent ex, Justin Timberlake, who appeared to disapprove of Spears' exchange with Madonna. Later, Timberlake put voice to his thoughts. "It was very glossy, what did you think of it?" Timberlake said about the performance during an interview. Once the host commented on his facial expression, Timberlake added, "Come on, man." 

Even though it's been almost 20 years, it's safe to say the moment has stood up against other unforgettable moments in the show's history — such as the time Kanye "Ye" West stole Taylor Swift's shine, or when Miley Cyrus completely shed her Disney image during her performance slot. Despite the fanfare, however, Aguilera has one super important issue with the entire ordeal.

Apparently, Christina Aguilera isn't all that pleased with how the cameras (and press) focused more on Britney Spears' involvement in the kiss than her own. "It was weird, and you know why they cut away for it?" said Aguilera during a 2018 interview with Andy Cohen. "Because, you know, they cut away to get Justin's reaction. It was a Justin reaction shot ... They were exes, but still, it was a cheap shot." The "Dirty" singer continued, "I definitely saw the newspaper the next day and I was like, 'Oh, well. I guess I got left out of that."

Spears, however, seems to not have too many regrets about the moment. In 2022, Spears even recreated the VMA kiss with Madonna during her wedding to Sam Asghari. "Weird that @madonna is extremely short and I was shorter than her ... do we shrink as we get older," Spears captioned an Instagram shot of the kiss. "Am I becoming short like my mom ??? Kissing the one and only Madonna  !!! I didn't know Madonna has almost as many number-one singles as The Beatles !!! So honored she came to my wedding ... perspective ... The Beatles have 20 and miss thang has 12 !!!" 

Madonna's image was built on pushing boundaries and creating provocative moments on stage. And while the "Like A Prayer" singer achieved her goal by enlisting the help of Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears, one of the spots was almost taken by another provocative performer: Jennifer Lopez. Yes, that's right. Apparently, Madonna didn't originally want Spears to be involved in the kiss. "It was a long road to get to that Britney and Christina kiss, because they weren't necessarily the first couple of people who were on the hit list," MTV Music Group President Van Toffler told Entertainment Weekly in 2012. "This may be the first time it's revealed, but originally J. Lo was in the mix. That didn't happen."

According to Music News, Lopez backed up Toffler's assertion during a 2023 interview with E! News, revealing that prior obligations blocked her from participating. "I was filming a movie in Canada," shared Lopez. "We had met — me, her [Madonna] and Britney — to do it, at [Madonna's] home. I just couldn't get off the film, so we couldn't do it. Then they got Christina Aguilera, I think, to do it." And while Lopez's account seems to suggest that Madonna was set on replacing Aguilera, not Spears, it's clear that Spears and Aguilera's team-up was originally not in the cards for them. Sounds like fate.