Teyana Taylor, Clipse Lead Winners at 2026 BET Awards

LOS ANGELES, California — American actress and singer Teyana Taylor and hip-hop duo Clipse emerged as the biggest winners at the 2026 BET Awards, taking home three awards each during the ceremony held on Sunday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.

The event, hosted by comedian Druski and broadcast live on BET, celebrated achievements across music, film, television and sports, with Kendrick Lamar and Kehlani also claiming two awards each.

Taylor capped off a successful year by winning Best Actress, Video Director of the Year and the newly introduced Fashion Vanguard Award. She was also recognised with the prestigious Icon of the Year honour, one of the ceremony’s special honorary awards.

Clipse dominated the music categories, winning Album of the Year for Let God Sort ‘Em Out, Best Group and Best Collaboration for the song Chains & Whips featuring Lamar.

Lamar further extended his record at the BET Awards by claiming Best Male Hip Hop Artist for a ninth time, reinforcing his status as the most decorated winner in the category.

Kehlani earned her first Best Female R&B/Pop Artist award, ending SZA’s three-year reign, and also secured Video of the Year for her hit song Folded.

British singer Olivia Dean continued her breakthrough year by winning Best New Artist, becoming only the fifth artiste to claim the honour at both the BET Awards and the Grammy Awards.

Cardi B won Best Female Hip Hop Artist, marking her third career victory in the category and her first since consecutive wins in 2018 and 2019.

Singer-songwriter Leon Thomas claimed Best Male R&B/Pop Artist for the first time, beating former winners Chris Brown, Usher and Bruno Mars.

In the film categories, Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler, won Best Movie, while Michael B. Jordan received the Best Actor award for his performance in the film, earning his fourth victory in the category.

The ceremony also honoured music legend Ms. Lauryn Hill with the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award, while veteran music executive Sylvia Rhone received the Ultimate Icon Award.

Sixteen-year-old journalist Jazlyn Guerra, popularly known as Jazzy’s World TV, won the YoungStars Award in recognition of her celebrity interviews and growing influence in entertainment journalism.

In the sports categories, basketball stars A’ja Wilson and Jalen Brunson were named Sportswoman of the Year and Sportsman of the Year, respectively.

Selected Winners at the 2026 BET Awards

Music

• Album of the Year – Let God Sort ‘Em Out — Clipse
• Best Female R&B/Pop Artist – Kehlani
• Best Male R&B/Pop Artist – Leon Thomas
• Best Female Hip Hop Artist – Cardi B
• Best Male Hip Hop Artist – Kendrick Lamar
• Best Group – Clipse
• Best Collaboration – “Chains & Whips” — Clipse featuring Kendrick Lamar
• Best New Artist – Olivia Dean
• Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award – “Headphones” — Lecrae, Killer Mike and T.I.
• BET Her Award – “girl, get up.” — Doechii featuring SZA
• Viewers’ Choice Award – “Burning Blue” — Mariah the Scientist
• Video of the Year – “Folded” — Kehlani
• Video Director of the Year – Teyana Taylor

Film and Television

• Best Movie – Sinners
• Best Actress – Teyana Taylor
• Best Actor – Michael B. Jordan
• YoungStars Award – Jazlyn Guerra

General Awards

• Fashion Vanguard Award – Teyana Taylor
• The Pulse Award – Druski

Sports

• Sportswoman of the Year – A’ja Wilson
• Sportsman of the Year – Jalen Brunson

Clipse and Teyana Taylor finished the night as the joint most successful winners with three awards each, followed by Kehlani and Kendrick Lamar with two awards apiece. Meanwhile, artistes including Doja Cat, Latto, A$AP Rocky, Bryson Tiller, Jill Scott, Metro Boomin, Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Tems and YK Niece left the ceremony without a win despite multiple nominations.

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A Lagos-based journalist with a passion for disseminating factual information and a deep appreciation for good music, good food, movies, and beautiful cars. He hopes to travel the world someday, documenting its beauty and diverse cultures through his storytelling.