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The 2026 BET Awards definitely gave viewers something to talk about.
Multiple spheres of entertainment — including music, film and sports — collided during the Sunday, June 28, ceremony at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The biggest names from Janet Jackson, Queen Latifah, Lizzo and T.I. were present, watching a slate of high-energy performances and giving away well-earned trophies. (I mean, Latifah’s duet with Common in honor of the unimitable Lauryn Hill had Us dancing in our seats.)
Before the event even began, this year’s BET Awards were guaranteed to deliver headline-making moments, with Druski making his hosting debut, Cardi B leading the pack of impressive nominees and Queen Latifah, Doechii, Raye, Common and more gearing up to perform during the telecast.
Scroll through Us Weekly’s roundup of the best and worst moments from the awards show below:
Best: Teyana Taylor Is the Icon of the Year
Fresh off her Golden Globes win, Taylor was presented with the coveted trophy by the ever-ageless Janet Jackson.
“Oh my, God, bitch, I’m gagging! They did not tell me Janet was coming,” she began her speech. “I love you so much, thank you, thank you, thank you for always seeing me. Thank you for text, every hug, every talk. You are my biggest inspiration. … The fact that you took the time to be here to celebrate with me, this is crazy.”
Janet had won the 2025 Icon of the Year honor, with Taylor earning the trophy the next year.
“Tonight they handed me a title and that title is Icon of the Year and for a little minute I wondered if I was supposed to feel uncomfortable saying that title outloud, but nah, I worked my ass off 20 years for this,” she quipped in her acceptance speech. “So I’m not accepting what I have earned with arrogance. I am accepting what I have earned with gratitude. In this year alone I continued to give the world the artist, actress, director, choreographer, creative director, stylist, designer, writer, producer and chef — I graduated [in] September, y’all.”
Worst: Druski’s Shares Net Worths
After the comedian descended from the rafters to a choir’s melody at the start of the show, he praised the guests in attendance by sharing the net worths of stars who weren’t there, including Tyler Perry and Stevie Wonder for a “Collect and Praise” segment of a fake church sermon. (Since Wonder is blind, the entry was written in Braille.)
“Shut up, he can’t see it,” Druski quipped. “That check is sign, sealed, delivered. Amen.”
Needless to say, it had Us cringing at the TV.
Best: D’Angelo’s Kids Pay Tribute to His Loss
Months after the soul icon died in October 2025, his three kids introduced Raye, Ari Lennox and George Clinton’s tribute performance.
“To the world, he was D’Angelo, to us he was just dad,” daughter Imani began, before her brother Morocco noted that the “Brown Sugar” crooner was their “biggest hype man and protector.”
Their brother, Swayvo, further gushed that D’Angelo “meant the whole world to us.”
Even before the performance began, D’Angelo’s kids had Us in tears.
Worst: The Length
While we’re not knocking the incredible performances or the well-deserved trophies, the ceremony extended past its scheduled end date with less time devoted to presenting the awards.
Best: A Fitting Honor for Lauryn Hill
The BET Awards featured a lengthy (and well-deserved) tribute to Hill on Sunday, beginning with a star-studded musical medley that even featured Queen Latifah and Common joining forces.
“I wasn’t supposed to perform, but then I heard someone wasn’t doing their set,” she said, beginning an impromptu performance.
Hill earned the coveted Living Legend Award, presented by Ice Cube.
“I do this because I love y’all,” she said in her acceptance speech. “I want you to have everything that I experience. I had wonderful parents who loved on me, poured onto me and protected me. Once I realized that not everybody got to have that experience, I felt it was my duty, my responsibility to share as much love and to pour into as much people as I possibly could. Music was a way for me to do that, but I’ve always cared about the expression and the representation of our people.”
While Hill gushed about her love for her career, she also noted that she’s a mother first and celebrated her son’s birthday and her daughter’s high school graduation onstage during her speech.
“I love my people,” she gushed.
Best: Raye Shuts It Down Onstage
Raye, best known for her hit “Where the Hell Is My Husband?”, stepped onto the BET stage for the first time on Sunday. Dressed in a sleek black gown, Raye belted “Nightangale Lane” and stunned Us with her impressive vocals.
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