Why did the Weeknd's face look bloody at the 2020 VMAs?

One of the first images from the 2020 MTV VMAs was that of the Weeknd, lying on the ground, glasses fallen from his face ... and looking like he'd just been beaten up.

But the performer known as the Weeknd (aka Abel Tesfaye) is really doing just fine. In fact, he wasn't actually bloody or bruised at all. It's all part of the act.

Fans will recognize the look; the video for "Blinding Lights," which won best R&B video on Sunday, showed Tesfaye being smacked around by bouncers and driving drunk.

He ended up with injuries to his face in the video ... and while promoting the song, he's continued to wear the same makeup, including on his "Saturday Night Live" performance in March.

"'Blinding Lights' (is about) how you want to see someone at night, and you're intoxicated, and you're driving to this person and you're just blinded by streetlights," he told Esquire for the magazine's September cover story. "But nothing could stop you from trying to go see that person, because you're so lonely. I don't want to ever promote drunken driving, but that's what the dark undertone is."