FILE - Taraji P. Henson attends the ELLE Women in Hollywood celebration, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. Henson will host the BET Awards. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Taraji P. Henson presents the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play during the 77th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
FILE - Donald Glover, who goes by the stage name Childish Gambino, performs at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York on June 3, 2017. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - Taraji P. Henson attends the ELLE Women in Hollywood celebration, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. Henson will host the BET Awards. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
Taraji P. Henson presents the award for best performance by an actor in a leading role in a play during the 77th Tony Awards on Sunday, June 16, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)
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FILE - Donald Glover, who goes by the stage name Childish Gambino, performs at the Governors Ball Music Festival in New York on June 3, 2017. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — The 2024 BET Awards are fast approaching. Last year's show celebrated 50 years of hip-hop with tributes to the genre’s earliest voices, late legends and new talent during a show packed with spectacular performances that consistently felt like a party. This year is stacking up to be just as exciting with award-winning performers — Lauryn Hill, Childish Gambino, Megan Thee Stallion and Will Smith, anyone? — and presenters.
Oscar-nominated actor will host the BET Awards for a third time.
“If we didn’t have a BET, how would the little ones know all this greatness exists? How will we be able to inspire each other if we didn’t see each other,†Henson told The Associated Press. "And so this is a safe space for us where we get to lift each other up — where sometimes in this industry, we don’t get to see ourselves lifted and celebrated in this way.â€
Here's everything you need to know before the June 30 show.
WHEN ARE THE BET AWARDS AND HOW CAN I WATCH THEM?
The BET Awards will air live on June 30 at 8 p.m. Eastern on BET from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. It will be simulcast on MTV, Comedy Central, MTV2, TVLand, Nickelodeon, Pop and Logo.
WHO’S NOMINATED FOR THE BET AWARDS?
Drake leads the nominations with seven, including an album of the year nod for , “For All the Dogs.†One of the awards he’s up for is the music video for “First Person Shooter,†his collaboration with J. Cole that may have been the catalyst for his .
Nicki Minaj follows with six, including for album of the year for her highly anticipated . Two of her nominations were for her song with Ice Spice, “Barbie World,†part of the .
A few months after wowing audiences while headlining , Usher will also receive the lifetime achievement BET award.
The film nominees this year are: “American Fictionâ€; “Bob Marley: One Loveâ€; ; “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verseâ€; “The Book of Clarenceâ€; “The Color Purpleâ€; “The Equalizer 3†and “The Little Mermaid.â€
Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, Steph Curry, LeBron James and Patrick Mahomes are among the sports stars competing for awards.
WHO IS PERFORMING AT THE BET AWARDS?
Performers will include Hill and her son YG Marley, Ice Spice, Tyla, Childish Gambino, Chlöe, Coco Jones, Keke Palmer, Marsha Ambrosius and Summer Walker.
Megan Thee Stallion will serve as the show's opening act.
Smith is slated to perform a new song. The Grammy and Oscar winner is still emerging from the infamous Oscars slap two years ago, with the successful launch of “Bad Boys: Ride or Die†.
“Anything Will sings, I’m just going to be there to enjoy it because we know he got some hits," Henson said. “But you know, it is summertime. I just thought I’d throw it out there,†she added, referencing the 1991 Grammy-award winning “Summertime†by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince.
Presenters will include Andra Day, Colman Domingo, DC Young Fly, Devale Ellis, Jay Ellis, Jessica Betts, Ms. Pat, Niecy Nash-Betts, Saucy Santana and more, it was announced Friday.
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AP Entertainment Writer Jonathan Landrum Jr. contributed to this report.
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For more coverage of this year’s BET Awards, visit
