Teyana Taylor’s 2026 BET Awards night turned into a four-win sweep, with Janet Jackson stepping onstage to present her with Icon of the Year.
Taylor wiped away tears during her acceptance speech at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, where the BET Awards aired live Sunday, June 28.
People reported that Jackson handed Taylor the honor before the singer, actress, director and choreographer looked back on two decades of work across entertainment.
“I worked my ass off 20 years for this,” Taylor said in the speech. She told the crowd she was accepting the title with gratitude, not arrogance, and said she planned to wear it “loud and proud.”
Janet Jackson Presented Teyana Taylor With Icon of the Year
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BET’s official video page said Taylor accepted the Icon of the Year Award Presented by Hyundai after being introduced by Jackson. The network described the speech as an emotional moment centered on Taylor’s career, her family and the artists who helped shape her.
Taylor spoke directly to Jackson from the stage. Reuters reported that Taylor told her, “There would be no me without you,” during the acceptance speech.
People reported that Jackson also drew a laugh from the room before the award presentation when she asked the audience to sit down so she could see the teleprompter.
Taylor Said She Earned the Title
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Taylor said the word “icon” made her uncomfortable at first, then said she had worked too hard to shrink from it. People reported that she told the crowd she was not accepting the honor with ego, but with gratitude for the years it took to reach that stage.
She also spoke about spending much of her career building her own dream while helping other people build theirs. People reported that Taylor described pouring into others so they could “overflow,” then turned the speech toward her daughters, Iman “Junie” Tayla and Rue Rose.
Taylor said she hoped her daughters would remember her first as home, even if the public remembers her as an icon.
She Left the BET Awards With Four Wins
Taylor was one of the biggest winners of the 2026 BET Awards. Reuters reported that she took home four awards: Icon of the Year, the Fashion Vanguard Award, Best Actress and Video Director of the Year for Escape Room.
The night recognized Taylor across several parts of her career at once. The acting award, directing award, fashion honor and Icon of the Year trophy put her music, screen work, style and behind-the-camera projects into the same awards-show run.
BET had already framed 2026 as a major year for Taylor before the ceremony. In a June 12 preview, the network noted that she was nominated in four categories and receiving the Icon of the Year honor after a stretch that included acting, directing, fashion and the visual album Escape Room.
Escape Room Helped Push Her Into a New Phase
BET described Escape Room as a visual album with an accompanying short film that Taylor wrote, directed and produced. The project was nominated for Video of the Year and won Video Director of the Year.
People previously reported that Escape Room earned Taylor her first Grammy nomination for Best R&B Album. The nomination came after Taylor had surprised fans years earlier by announcing that she was stepping away from music.
Taylor’s film career also moved sharply upward this awards season. She won a Golden Globe for her supporting performance in Paul Thomas Anderson’s One Battle After Another and received her first Oscar nomination for the role.
The Night Also Honored Lauryn Hill and Sylvia Rhone
The 2026 BET Awards were hosted by Druski and featured performances from Cardi B, Raye, T.I., Kehlani, Doechii and Don Toliver, according to Reuters.
The ceremony also honored Sylvia Rhone with the Ultimate Icon Award and Lauryn Hill with the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award. Reuters reported that Cardi B won Best Female Hip-Hop Artist.