From the moment it was announced that Miley Cyrus would host the 2015 VMAs, we knew we were in for some controversy, but no one thought the show would result in this much debate.
While most fans on social media spent the evening wondering if the feud between Nicki Minaj and Miley was real or fake, some viewers were more concerned with what they felt were "tone deaf" remarks made by the show’s host and presenters.
Two moments in particular were harshly criticized on Twitter:
Rebel Wilson’s "joke" about police brutality, and Miley Cyrus’ use of the word "mammy" in a bizarre skit.
The criticism began when Chance the Rapper (who boycotted the show on the grounds that black artists were underrepresented in the nominations) fired off a series of tweets about Cyrus’ performance as host.
"I think shorty said ‘my real mammy,’" Chance tweeted following a sketch in which Miley ate a pot brownie and hung out with a pig who served as a stand-in for Snoop Dogg.
The term mammy is generally associated with black caretakers who looked after the children of white families in the pre-Civil War South.
Needless to say, many viewers had a problem with the word being used by a southern-accented white woman in a comedy sketch.
"The most uncomfortable, racist, confusing, POS award show I have ever seen," tweeted one viewer.
"That racist creature Miley called Snoop her ‘mammy’ on stage, live at the VMAs. Her racism has no chill," wrote another.
Miley has yet to respond to the criticism, and given the amount of damage control she’s doing today, it may be some time before she addresses the matter.