(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
The 2026 BET Awards delivered a night of performances, tributes and memorable moments as artists gathered to celebrate music and culture during the annual ceremony on June 28.
Hosted by comedian Druski, the event featured performances from Cardi B, RAYE and Lauryn Hill, while several music legends were honoured throughout the evening.
One of the night’s emotional moments came during a tribute to the late D’Angelo, as his children Michael, Imani and Morocco Archer introduced his band, The Vanguard.
Family also took centre stage when Jamie Foxx appeared alongside his daughter Anelise, who joined him on guitar during his introduction to Kehlani’s performance.
Lauryn Hill’s children Selah, Zion and YG Marley also participated in a tribute celebrating their mother before she accepted the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award.
RAYE made her BET Awards debut with a performance of “Nightingale Lane”, earning a standing ovation from the audience following an extended vocal finale.
Janet Jackson also made a surprise appearance to present Teyana Taylor with the Icon of the Year award. Before beginning her speech, Jackson asked audience members to sit down, saying, “I’m so sorry, but all of you in the back, you’re going to have to sit down because I can’t see the font.”
Taylor became emotional upon seeing Jackson and told the audience: “Oh my God, bitch, I’m gagging. They did not tell me Janet was coming!”
Cardi B performed a medley from her latest album, Am I the Drama?, including the television debut of her diss track “Pretty & Petty”. Later in the evening, she briefly left the stage without taking her Best Female Hip Hop Artist trophy after accepting the award.
Elsewhere, SZA and Doechii accepted the BET Her Award for their collaboration “Girl, Get Up”. As music began signalling that their acceptance speech was running over time, Doechii responded, “I’m gonna keep my time!”
She then teased upcoming music, telling the audience: “I just wanna say, new music is coming soon, and to all the haters that have something to say about me, you better be ready for me to pop back out because I’m coming with a new single and it’s finna kill everybody. Don’t ever play with me!”
