# Rick Astley Wins Best Act Ever

> Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' became the internet's biggest prank at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards.
- Title: Rick Astley Wins Best Act Ever · VICE | Shortify
- Summary: Rick Astley's 'Never Gonna Give You Up' became the internet's biggest prank at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards.
- Keywords: rick astley, mtv europe music awards, best act ever, never gonna give you up, rickrolling, 4chan, grand theft auto iv, youtube, VICE
- Source: VICE — https://vice.com/en/article/on-this-day-in-2008-rick-astley-rickrolled-everyone-in-europe-when-he-won-best-act-ever
- Author: Dan Milam
- Published: 2026-11-06T22:45:26+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: rick astley, mtv europe music awards, best act ever, never gonna give you up, rickrolling, 4chan, grand theft auto iv, youtube, news, culture
## Rick Astley's Signature Song
Rick Astley released the global No. 1 hit 'Never Gonna Give You Up' in 1987.
## Rickrolling Origin
A 4chan user pranked users in 2007 by linking to Rick Astley's music video for a Grand Theft Auto IV leak.
## MTV Europe Music Awards Prank
YouTube redirected all video links to Rick Astley's music video on April Fools' Day 2008.
## Best Act Ever Win
Rick Astley won the Best Act Ever award at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards with 100 million votes.
## Key takeaway

Rick Astley won the MTV Europe Music Award for Best Act Ever in 2008 after internet users voted him in with 100 million votes.