Teyana Taylor was presented with the BET Awards 2026 Icon of the Year award by the one and only Janet Jackson. After taking in Jackson’s surprise appearance and sobbing over Jackson’s uplifting words, Taylor accepted the award in shock.
“Oh, my God. Bitch, I’m gagging,” the multidisciplinary artist said while accepting the honor. “They did not tell me Janet was coming, bitch, and it’s so crazy because when Kehlani said, ‘Janet is here,’ I said, ‘Bitch, is that the surprise?’ I wasn’t sure!”
After thanking Jackson for “every text, every hug, every text” as an inspiration and friend, Taylor delivered her speech. “Tonight, they handed me a title, and that title is Icon of the Year. And for a little minute, I wondered if I was supposed to feel uncomfortable saying that title out loud,” she said. “But nah, I worked my ass off 20 years for this.
“So I’m not accepting what I’ve earned with arrogance. I’m accepting what I’ve earned with gratitude, and this year alone, I continued to give the world the artist, actress, director, choreographer, creative director, stylist, designer, writer, producer, and chef. I graduate in September, y’all!”
Taylor and Jackson onstage
The Icon of the Year award honors culturally influential artists whose creative contributions have had a positive impact on the entertainment industry. The network announced Taylor as its Icon of the Year earlier in the month. The honor arrives during one of the most expansive periods of Taylor’s career. Making a name for herself in the mid-2000s as a dancer and choreographer, she quickly earned the attention of renowned artists, including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Pharrell Williams. Over the following two decades, Taylor built a résumé that has consistently extended past traditional industry boundaries.
After dropping her debut album VII in 2014, Taylor went on to release three additional studio albums, including 2025’s Escape Room, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album earlier this year.
Behind the camera, she became one of the industry’s distinctive visual storytellers, earning BET Awards for Video Director of the Year in both 2020 and 2023. Before her starring role in the 2026 action film The Rip, Taylor received a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination for her role as Perfidia Beverly Hills in Paul Thomas Anderson’s 2025 film One Battle After Another.
This year, Taylor won the BET Awards 2026 Fashion Vanguard Award, Video Director of the Year, and Best Actress award. See her full speech below.
