It all came full circle at the 2003 VMAs. On the heels of her "American Life" album, Madonna tapped Spears and Aguilera to open the show with a re-creation of the 1984 "Like a Virgin" performance that started it all. Madonna then appeared at the top of a cake once again, this time dressed as a groom, and joined her two pop-star brides. The trio tangoed to "Hollywood" before Madonna planted one on Spears and Aguilera, visibly surprising many stars in attendance, including Spears's ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake.
Because of the cut to Timberlake, however, it's often forgotten that Aguilera partook in the performance. Aguilera referred to it as a "cheap shot" in a 2018 interview with Andy Cohen. "I definitely saw the newspaper the next day, and I was like, 'Oh, well. I guess I got left out of that,'" she said. "Everything happened so quickly back then, and everything was in a whirlwind."