- YouTube star Tana Mongeau attended the 2019 MTV VMAs on Monday at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.
- She walked the red carpet with a yellow snake, channeling Britney Spears' iconic 2001 "Slave 4 U" performance.
- Mongeau told Insider that it was a "tribute," but the YouTuber also added that she was too "bootleg" to compare herself to Spears.
- "[I] don't even deserve to compare myself to her so I feel bad saying that," she said. "But she's an icon, I love the snake moment."
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YouTube star Tana Mongeau walked the 2019 MTV VMAs red carpet with a snake, but says it's not an homage to Britney Spears because Mongeau believes she's too "bootleg" to pull it off.
"We were feeling bold, we were feeling snakes, we were feeling VMAs," Mongeau told Insider at the event held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on Monday.
The 21-year-old wore a gold dress and matching sparkling boots and held onto a light yellow snake, reminiscent of Spears' iconic 2001 "Slave 4 U" performance that featured a python.
Read more: Here are all the nominees for the 2019 MTV VMAs
"Tribute — sure, yeah," Mongeau told Insider of the comparison to the pop singer. "I mean, I'm so bootleg and don't even deserve to compare myself to her so I feel bad saying that. But she's an icon, I love the snake moment."
💛@tanamongeau just wrote herself into #VMA HISTORY with a SNAKE on the red carpet ðŸ˜
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) August 26, 2019
See what happens TONIGHT at 8p on @MTV✨ pic.twitter.com/khKVyHYyVa
A brief history of celebs bringing snakes to the #VMAs
— Video Music Awards (@vmas) August 26, 2019
2001: @britneyspears
2011: @justinbieber
2019: @tanamongeau pic.twitter.com/oAiOSiF07i
Here's another look at her outfit.
Mongeau went on to credit her stylist for the head-to-toe look and said that she contacted fellow YouTube star David Dobrik to help her find a snake. She also told us that despite "husband" Jake Paul being a no-show at the VMAs, he'll be watching from home.
"He's been super sweet, I know he's my biggest fan," she said.
Mongeau, who attended the awards show in 2018, took to Twitter to reflect on how her life has changed in the past year.
"i never thought i'd be invited to the VMAs once, let alone twice. i never thought standing on that carpet last year that 365 days later i'd have a show with MTV and a season under my belt.." she tweeted, referring to her reality TV show called "No Filter: Tana Turns 21."
She continued: "my life was so different a year ago and i was probably standing in this terminal waiting to board that flight thinking how different it was a year prior to that moment. crazy to grasp that the most constant thing in my world in the last year was attending the VMAs."
Mongeau also wasn't the only star to bring a snake to the VMAs. Singer H.E.R. also walked the carpet with one around her arms that she called "Big Mama."
- Read more:
- 60 of the wildest MTV Video Music Awards outfits of all time
- MTV finally made Lady Gaga's iconic 2009 VMAs performance available online, and fans can't contain their excitement
- RANKED: The 18 best performances at the MTV VMAs ever
- Lizzo looks like a literal goddess at the 2019 MTV VMAs in a sparkling red gown covered in the word 'siren'
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