Ayo Edebiri, Will Smith, and Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar: What you need to know about the 2024 BET Awards

This year’s ceremony takes place Sunday, June 30, at 8 p.m. Prior to the show, BET will kick off the festivities with a two-hour long special live from the red carpet starting at 6 p.m.

The awards ceremony will air live from Los Angeles on BET for cable viewers and those who have access to the channel through streaming services such as FuboTV, Philo, SlingTV, and Hulu. It will also be simulcast on Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon, Pop, TVLand, and VH1.

Taraji P. Henson, who also hosted the event in 2021 and 2022, will return to emcee the BET Awards. Known for her performances in hits like “Hidden Figures” and “The Color Purple,” Henson has earned a slew of awards herself over the years, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Awards, as well as an Oscar nomination. Previous BET Awards hosts include Kevin Hart in 2011, Chris Rock in 2014, Regina Hall in 2019, and Amanda Seales for the virtual show in 2020.

For Bostonians and “The Bear” fans, Dorchester’s Edebiri is up in the best actress category, facing fellow stars Halle Bailey, Angela Bassett, Coco Jones, Danielle Brooks, Fantasia, Issa Rae, and Regina King.

Meanwhile, Drake leads with seven nominations this year, including a nod for best male hip-hop artist, where he is going up against musical rival Lamar, serving as the latest installment in their heavily-documented feud. The other nominees for the category include 21 Savage, Burna Boy, Future, Gunna, J. Cole, and Lil Wayne. The best female hip-hop artist nominees feature megastars like Cardi B, Doja Cat, GloRilla, Ice Spice, Latto, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, and Sexyy Red.

Other major nominees in music categories include Beyoncé, who’s for best female R&B/pop artist and best collaboration for “AMERICA HAS A PROBLEM (Remix)” with Lamar. The “Cowboy Carter” singer is also up for the BET Her Award for her song “16 CARRIAGES,” and best movie for “Renaissance: A film by Beyoncé.” Her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, is also a nominee for the youngstars award.

Other film-related nominations include Idris Elbafor best actor, where he faces Denzel Washingtonand Donald Glover, among other nominees, while the best movie category features hits like “The Color Purple” and the Boston-filmed comedy “American Fiction.”

Sport-related nominees include tennis player Coco Gauff going up against gymnast Simone Biles, and basketball player Angel Reese for sportwoman of the year. Additionally, Lakers star LeBron James goes up against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, former Celtics players Kyrie Irving, plus other notable athletes for sportsman of the year.

Grammy-winning entertainer Usher is also set to receive the lifetime achievement award this year.

Smith has renewed his interest in music, as the “The Fresh Prince of Bell Air” and “Men in Black” star will take the stage at the BET Awards to perform a new song, his first since his last release in 2017. The performance will also mark one of his first major awards show appearances since his infamous Oscars slap.

Other stars set to performs include Megan Thee Stallion, who will open the event, followed by GloRilla, Ice Spice, Latto, Ms. Lauryn Hill, Muni Long, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Tyla, Victoria Monét, and YG Marley.

Maria Jose Gutierrez Chavez can be reached at [email protected].