Teyana Taylor to receive Icon of the Year honor at BET Awards
The honour will be presented during the live telecast on Sunday, June 28, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles
Golden Globe winner and Grammy nominee Teyana Taylor will be celebrated as Icon of the Year at the 2026 BET Awards. The honor will be presented during the live telecast on Sunday, June 28, from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, with comedian Druski hosting the ceremony, as per Variety.
The Icon of the Year award is reserved for culture-defining artists whose influence transcends time, described by BET as someone “whose impact isn’t measured in years but in the undeniable weight they carry in every room, every conversation, and every corner of the culture they touch.”
Career Achievements
Taylor won a Golden Globe for best supporting actress and received a Critics’ Choice Award for her performance in the Sundance hit A Thousand and One. She also secured an Academy Award nomination for Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another. In music, her visual album Escape Room earned a Grammy nomination for best R&B album, further cementing her reputation as a creative force.
Her acting career has flourished as well, with standout roles in Netflix’s action thriller The Rip alongside Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, and in Ryan Murphy’s ensemble drama All’s Fair for Hulu.
BET’s Statement
Connie Orlando, EVP of specials, music programming & music strategy at BET, praised Taylor’s impact: “She doesn’t ask for a seat at the table; she builds the table, designs the rooms, and sets the tone for everyone who walks in. Her fingerprints are all over culture, and it is an honor to celebrate everything she represents on Culture’s Biggest Night.”
Additional honourees, performers, and presenters for the 2026 BET Awards will be announced in the coming weeks.