Miley Cyrus chooses homeless man Jesse to collect her MTV Video Music Award

Twerking was out and tears were in at the MTV VMAs 2014.

In sharp contrast to the 2013 VMAs, when Miley Cyrus twerked and danced shockingly onstage, the 21-year-old gave last night’s top spot to a homeless man called Jesse as he picked up the award for Video of the Year on her behalf.

(PatBenic/Landov/PA)

“Thank y’all, my name is Jesse and I am accepting this award on behalf of the 1.6 million runaways and homeless youth in the United States who are starving, lost and scared for their lives right now. I know this because I am one of these people,” he said, as a teary Cyrus looked on.

(Matt Sayles/AP)

“Though I may have been invisible to you in the streets, I have a lot of the same dreams that brought many of you here tonight.”

(Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP)

Cyrus’ decision to let someone else accept her award to promote a cause was reminiscent of Marlon Brando’s 1973 Academy Awards best actor win, when he gave a Native American activist the stage rather than accept his Oscar trophy.

And here’s how she won.