What happened to The Weeknd’s face? Why he was bloody at the VMAs

The Weeknd is blinded by the light — and bruised in the face.

At the 2020 VMAs, the singer — who took home the VMA for best R&B and video of the year for “Blinding Lights” — appeared to have a broken nose and black eyes and was bleeding during his performance atop Hudson Yards in New York City.

But don’t call 9-1-1 just yet: It was just makeup.

The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Tesfaye, embraced a similar battered aesthetic in the short film “After Hours,” which has the same name as his most recent album, and in the music video for “Blinding Lights.”

The 30-year-old adopted that gory look, blood and red jacket included, when he performed on “Saturday Night Live” in March. He was also seen on the streets of New York last week like that, most likely when he pre-taped parts of his performance.

The Weeknd’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Bella Hadid, 23, was also a part of the VMAs, when she presented the special “Tricon” award to Lady Gaga, 34.

His album “After Hours” was nominated for six awards.