Teyana Taylor and Clipse were the big winners at the 2026 BET Awards, which were held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday (June 28). The show, hosted by Druski, aired live on BET. Both artists won three competitive awards on the night. Kendrick Lamar and Kehlani were runners-up in the winners tally, with two wins each.
In addition to winning three competitive awards – best actress, video director of the year and the fashion vanguard award – Taylor received the Icon of the Year award, one of three honorary awards presented on the night. Taylor has had a year for the record books, winning a Golden Globe and receiving an Oscar nomination for One Battle After Another, and receiving a Grammy nomination for best R&B album for Escape Room.
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Clipse won album of the year for Let God Sort ’Em Out, best group and best collaboration for “Chains & Whips,” their pairing with Lamar. Let God Sort ’Em Out was nominated for album of the year and best rap album at the Grammy Awards in February but didn’t win in either category.
Lamar also won best male hip-hop artist for a record ninth time. He has won in that category more often than the next two most frequent winners combined. (That’s Drake with four awards and Ye, the former Kanye West, with three.)
Kehlani won best female R&B/pop artist for the first time, beating, among others, SZA, who won in the category the last three years. Kehlani also won video of the year for “Folded.” Kehlani won two Grammys in February: best R&B song and best R&B performance, both for her soulful ballad “Folded.”
Olivia Dean, who won best new artist at the Grammys, also won in that category here. She’s the fifth artist to take the best new artist prize at both shows, following Alicia Keys, John Legend, Sam Smith and Chance the Rapper.
Cardi B won best female hip-hop artist. It’s her third win in the category; her first since she won back-to-back awards in 2018-19.
Leon Thomas won best male R&B/pop artist for the first time, beating, among others, three repeat past winners in this category: Chris Brown, who has won a record eight times; Usher, who has won five times; and Bruno Mars, who has won three times. Thomas won two Grammys in February: best R&B album for Mutt and best traditional R&B performance for “Vibes Don’t Lie.”
Ryan Coogler’s Sinners won best movie. The film received a record 16 Oscar nominations, but lost the top award, best picture, to One Battle After Another. Sinners is the third Coogler film to win best movie at the BET Awards, following Black Panther and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. No other director has had more than two best movie winners.
Michael B. Jordan, who won an Oscar for best lead actor for Sinners, also won best actor here. It’s his fourth win in that category at the BET Awards, which puts him just one award behind category leader Denzel Washington.
In addition to Taylor, two other groundbreaking women received special awards. Ms. Lauryn Hill was honored with the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award. Legendary music executive Sylvia Rhone was named the recipient of the Ultimate Icon Award.
Jazzy’s World TV won the rising star award. That’s the stage name of Jazlyn Guerra, 16, a fast-rising journalist who conducts unstructured interviews of celebrities. Raised in New York City, she first gained recognition for her interview with Jay-Z in 2021. Past winners in the category include Keke Palmer, Jaden & Willow Smith and Blue Ivy Carter.
Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2026 BET Awards, with winners marked. They are divided into Music, General, Film/TV and Sports categories. They are followed by lists of winners by the number of awards won, and then everyone who went home empty-handed, despite three nominations or more.
On Sunday night (June 28), the 2026 BET Awards returned to Los Angeles for its annual celebration. After a rousing show last year, when Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg and Kirk Franklin were honored, BET knew it had to up the ante this time around. Rallying the rap and R&B Avengers in Cardi B, Kehlani, Don Toliver and more, the seminal Black network once again delivered a star-studded spectacle worthy of the occasion.
Hosted by comedian and actor Druski, the 2026 BET Awards celebrated legends, rising stars and fallen heroes alike. Janet Jackson left fans awestruck with her presence while presenting the Icon of the Year Award to Teyana Taylor. Six-time Grammy winner Erica Campbell paid tribute to the bevy of Black luminaries who recently passed with a stirring rendition of Whitney Houston’s “I Love the Lord,” while legendary music executive Sylvia Rhone was celebrated for her countless contributions to Black artists like Missy Elliott, Future and Brandy.
An R&B superteam featuring Ari Lennox and Durand Bernarr honored the legacy of D’Angelo; the incomparable Lauryn Hill received her flowers courtesy of Doja Cat, Doechii and more; while Kwn and Kenny Iko made their official BET Awards debuts. And when the legends weren’t lighting up the room with their star power, today’s stars like Tems and RAYE proved Black creativity is as vibrant as ever with standout performances of their own.
Below, Billboard ranked every performance from the 2026 BET Awards. Check out the list and see which superstars left an indelible mark on the night.
Trailblazing record industry executive Sylvia Rhone received the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2026 BET Awards. The special award — honoring a groundbreaking career that includes her recent six-year tenure as chairman/CEO of Epic Records — was presented by Kelly Rowland.
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Rowland recalled first meeting Rhone as one of the six members of Girls Tyme, the precursor to the Grammy-winning group Destiny’s Child. “Let me tell y’all, there we were standing before the same woman that worked with Metallica and signed Erykah Badu and Missy Elliott, just to name a few,” said Rowland. “I was nervous as hell; Sylvia has a particular aura that engulfs any room she walks in. Her vision, her drive and her commitment to create quality artists for the masses to enjoy is something only a true icon can do.”
Walking onstage accompanied by a standing ovation and to the tune of “Free Your Mind,” a hit by En Vogue — another act she mentored to fame — Rhone noted that while the award bears her name, “it really belongs to all of us who create culture.” Adding that’s she’s been “fortunate to spend my life around extraordinary artists,” she shouted out a who’s who that included Busta Rhymes, Badu, Gerald Levert and Brandy, as well as Future, Travis Scott and Tyla.
She continued, “Working at various companies like Atlantic, Elektra, Motown and Epic have been my sword and shield. We’ve seen musical ideas become movements, and what we know is this: Black creativity is one of the most powerful forces in the world. It has shaped culture and continues to show the world new ways to see and feel that creativity. And that deserves our continued protection.
“Music needs us to stand up for it like never before because we are living through a time of massive technological change,” an emotional Rhone further noted. “The possibilities are super exciting, but we must stay as active on the tech side of music as we are on the soulful side. We make the algorithm. The algorithm doesn’t make us. We must honor the musician. We must compensate the creator. So let us celebrate music as the art form it is, and let us make sure the next generation of artists has the opportunity to create the songs that will change the world.”
Earlier during BET Week (June 25), Grammy winner Missy Elliott also hosted “The Sylvia Rhone Legacy Celebration” presented by Mona Scott-Young’s Monami Entertainment in association with the Black Music Action Coalition (BMAC). Among the music stars, executives and creatives packed inside The Sun Rose West Hollywood were Stevie Wonder, Lil Wayne, songwriter-producers Jimmy Jam and Bryan-Michael Cox (the latter of whom doubled as the evening’s DJ) and HYBE America president of music Ethiopia Habtemariam.
Grammy- and Emmy Award-winning producer/multi-instrumentalist Adam Blackstone curated the evening’s musical salute. The performances encompassed the wide scope of Rhone’s career and the diverse array of artists whose careers she helped develop and guide. Among the hosts of artists that rocked the stage were Jozzy, who performed Elliott’s “Sock It to Me” and Flo, who sang En Vogue’s “Don’t Let Go (Love).”
Teyana Taylor was honored with the Icon of the Year Award at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday night (June 28) for her enduring impact across music, fashion and film.
Janet Jackson, who’s Taylor’s main artistic inspiration, made a surprise appearance to present the Harlem-bred polymath with the award, which caught Taylor off guard and saw her immediately break down in tears.
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“It seems like only yesterday, our rose from Harlem grew out of the concrete and blossomed into our Icon of the Year. I’ve enjoyed watching you, as you know, over the years,” Jackson gushed. “Watching you defy expectations, rewrite the rules and lead with an unstoppable work ethic.”
Rocking a 2Pac T-shirt, the pop icon continued: “The world is made more luminous with the art that you have given it. This year, it belongs to you.”
Overcome with emotion, a sobbing Taylor wiped her tears and hit a Janet Jackson-esque strut across the stage in a blue dress to accept the Icon of the Year Award, but made sure to give Jackson her flowers before turning the spotlight to herself.
“I love you so much,” Taylor said to Jackson. “Thank you for always seeing me. Thank you for every text, every hug, every talk. You are my biggest inspiration. Everybody who I know knows how I feel about you. The fact you even took out the time to be here and celebrate with me, this is crazy. I love you so much. There would be no me without you.”
Taylor went on: “Tonight they handed me a title and that title is Icon of the Year. For a little minute, I wondered if I was supposed to be feel uncomfortable saying that title out loud. But nah, I worked my a– off 20 years for this. So I’m not what I’ve earned with arrogance, I’m accepting what I’ve earned with gratitude.”
Taylor urged the importance of pouring into others, as she believed that helping others doesn’t mean she has to dim her own light. “So tonight I will wear this title loud and proud because I promise to continue to earn it,” she added.
Teyana Taylor is coming off a banner 2025, which included her starring in the Oscar-winning One Battle After Another. For her performance as Perfidia, she picked up a Golden Globe Award and a nomination at the Academy Awards. The 34-year-old also released her Escape Room album, which debuted at No. 67 on the Billboard 200.
Spike Tee also picked up an additional three BET Awards, for video director of the year, the fashion vanguard award and best actress.
Watch Taylor’s full speech below.
Cheryl “Salt” James chatted with Billboard’s Kyle Denis on the red carpet at the BET Awards 2026.
The 2026 BET Awards are going down at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday (June 28) and we’re here to tell you who won in each category as soon as the winner is announced. The show, hosted by Druski, is airing live at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and will be simulcast on BET HER, CMT, LOGO, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon (NAN), Paramount, POP, VH1, Comedy Central and TV Land.
Cardi B led the nominations with six nods, followed by Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist, with five nods each; and Doechii, Doja Cat, Clipse, Teyana Taylor, Olivia Dean and Latto, with four nods each. Nominees were selected by the BET Voting Academy, which is comprised of entertainment professionals and influencers in the fields of music, media, digital marketing, sports journalism, public relations and creative arts.
Three ground-breaking women are set to receive special awards. Ms. Lauryn Hill will be honored with the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award. Singer, songwriter and actress Teyana Taylor will be named the inaugural recipient of the Icon of the Year Award. Legendary music executive Sylvia Rhone will be named the recipient of the Ultimate Icon Award.
BET added two new categories this year. The Fashion Vanguard Award recognizes a global figure whose fashion presence has had long-standing cultural impact, has significantly influenced style narratives, and who continues to elevate fashion as a form of storytelling across music, film, sports and public life. The Pulse Award recognizes a creator, campaign or content series that most powerfully moved Black culture forward in digital spaces by sparking conversation, building community and defining the moment online.
Connie Orlando, EVP, specials, music programming & music strategy at BET, serves as executive producer for the 2026 BET Awards. Jesse Collins Entertainment is the production company for the show, with Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon, and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay also serving as executive producers.
Here’s the complete list of nominees for the 2026 BET Awards, with winners marked as they are announced. They are divided into Music, General, Film/TV and Sports categories.
Candiace Dillard Bassett chatted with Billboard’s Kyle Denis on the red carpet at the BET Awards 2026.
“Watch It Burn,” Katy Perry‘s latest single, tops this week’s new music poll.
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Listeners voted in a poll published Friday (June 26) on Billboard, choosing the pop star’s just-released song as their favorite new music.
“Watch It Burn” soared ahead new releases from artists including TEEKS, sombr, Gracie Abrams and Phoebe Bridgers. At the poll’s closing time on Sunday, fans took Perry to the top with 27% of the vote.
Perry lets loose her rage in “Watch It Burn,” which has her declaring in verse one, “For years, I tried to rise above/ Was only light and love/ But now I’m, ‘Shut the f— up.’” The track was accompanied by a fiery new music video directed by Christian Breslauer.
“You know I gave and I gave/ Now I’m giving up/ There’s nothing more you can take/ No, I don’t want to cause a scene/ But give me the gasoline/ Tonight’s the night, I light a match/ Throw it hard behind my back/ Gonna try to forgive and forget/ Light a cigarette, and watch it burn/ With the past, I’ma breathe in the ash/ Gonna try to forgive and forget/ Light a cigarette, and watch it burn,” Perry sings in the chorus.
“Watch It Burn” is Perry’s follow-up to “Bandaids,” which dropped in November. She last released a full-length studio album in 2024, 143, which was a top 10 hit on the Billboard 200.
Trailing just behind Perry’s single are TEEKS’ “My Boy,” coming in with 18% of the vote, and sombr’s “My Body Isn’t Ready,” with 16% of the vote.
See the final results of this week’s poll below.
Muni Long chatted with Billboard’s Kyle Denis on the red carpet at the BET Awards 2026.
Master P chatted with Billboard’s Kyle Denis on the red carpet at the BET Awards 2026.