Barely a month out of jail and just weeks after a shortened, court-ordered rehab stint, Lindsay Lohan made an appearance during Sunday night’s broadcast of the MTV Video Music Awards.

LiLo’s message: Don’t drink and host an awards show!

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In a pretaped bit presumably capturing VMAs host Chelsea Handler‘s pre-show prep, Lohan grilled the author of ‘Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea’ on whether she has been drinking.

When Chandler tries to explain away a beeping alcohol monitor on her ankle – a la the one Lohan wore not long before serving 13 days in jail for violating her probation in a 2007 drug case – Lindsay shoves the comedienne against the wall and urges, “Wake up, Handler! Pull it together! You’re a mess. Do you think anyone wants to work with a drunk? Take it from me, they don’t.”

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“Inspired” by Lohan’s sobering message, Handler mea culpas, and the ladies make nice.

“Have a great show,” Lohan says as she smacks Chandler on the butt, as many others did during the pretaped segment. Then turning stern again, LiLo warned: “Don’t embarrass me.”

Watch Lindsay’s VMAs cameo here:

Those who saw it, what did you think of Lindsay’s performance? Was the bit of self-mocking on a pop-culture touchstone like the VMAs a step in the right direction?