Teyana Taylor is among the big winners at the 2026 BET Awards, which are being held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28. 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.
In addition to receiving the Icon of the Year award, Taylor won three competitive awards – best actress, video director of the year and the fashion vanguard award, a new award this year. 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.
In the best actress category, Taylor bested last year’s winner, Cynthia Erivo, as well as the 2023 winner Angela Bassett, among others.
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.”
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 won two Grammys in February: best R&B song and best R&B performance, both for her soulful ballad “Folded.”
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.
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In addition to Taylor, two other ground-breaking women are set to receive special awards. Ms. Lauryn Hill will be honored with the inaugural Living Legend Icon 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 and has significantly influenced style narratives while continuing to elevate fashion as a form of storytelling across music, film, sports and public life. The Pulse Award recognizes a creator or campaign that most powerfully moved Black culture forward in digital spaces by sparking conversation and building community.
Connie Orlando, EVP of specials and music programming 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.
