There’s no doubt that 2026 has been the year of wins for Teyana Taylor. She snagged an Oscar nomination and took home her first Golden Globe, in addition to another Critics Choice Award. Her red carpet style also topped every best-dressed list. After years of building her resume, she’s finally a force in Hollywood.
Now, she’s continuing her dominant run with the Icon of the Year honor at the 2026 BET Awards. According to a press release, the Icon of the Year Award celebrates a true culture-shifting artist “whose work, presence, and vision are setting the tone right now – 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.”
To me, Taylor perfectly fits that description; It’s impossible to place her in one category. One moment she’s a scene-stealing actress in an Academy Award-winning film; the next she’s a music visionary, the creative force choreographing for top artists, or a director reviving the craft of music videos.
I’ll be watching her accept the honor on Sunday, June 28 at 8:00 p.m. ET/ 7:00 p.m. CT with comedian Druski making his BET Awards hosting debut.
Teyana Taylor definitely deserves this honor
I’ve seen debate on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram about whether Taylor deserves this award over some of her talented peers. Her career-defining past two years speak for themselves, though. She was named one of Time’s 2026 Women of the Year, starred alongside Matt Damon and Ben Affleck in The Rip, joined the cast of Ryan Murphy’s All’s Fair, and received a 2026 GRAMMY nomination for Best R&B Album for her visual album, Escape Room.
While many might be hearing her name more than ever this year, Taylor’s dedication over the years paved the way for this moment. In fact, she won the Breakthrough Actress Critics Choice Award for her performance in A Thousand and One in 2023.
Header image credit: 2026 BET Awards/Paramount Press Express
