Nicki Minaj says she wishes Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston were at the VMAs while receiving Video Vanguard Award.

Nicki Minaj says she wishes Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston were at the VMAs while receiving Video Vanguard Award.

During her acceptance speech on that night, Nicki Minaj made it clear that she would have liked to have the icon himself there as well as the late Whitney Houston: “I wrote this down. I don't know why y'all, but this is what this was in my spirit to say, I wish that Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson were here, I wish that people understood what they meant and what they were going through. I wish people took mental health, seriously, even for the people who you think have the perfect lives.”

The Video Vanguard Award is a ceremony that started in 1984 to celebrate and a merit given to recording artist and music video directors. The award is also referenced as the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award or the Lifetime Achievement Award.