The BET Awards aired live on Sunday, June 28 in Los Angeles
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Lauryn Hill received the inaugural Living Legend Icon Award at the 2026 BET Awards after a star-studded tribute performance
- The singer reflected on her parents’ influence, her children’s inspiration for her music, and the importance of individuality and community
- Hill surprised the audience by performing “Ex-Factor” and emphasized uplifting others and celebrating unique talents during her speech
Ms. Lauryn Hill is a living legend.
At the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday, June 28, the "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" singer was presented with the Living Legend Icon Award.
"I do this because I love y'all. You know?" she said during her speech. "I do this because I want you to have everything that I experienced."
The R&B star also spoke about her loving parents and how they shaped her.
"I had wonderful parents who loved on me, poured into me and protected me," said Hill. "And once I realized that not everybody got to have that experience, I felt like it was my duty, my responsibility to share as much love and to pour into [as] much people as I possibly could. Music was a way for me to do that."
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
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Hill emphasized the importance of respecting the dignity of others, adding, "I fight for y'all. Everybody may not know about it, but I fight for y'all. Fighting for y'all is me fighting for myself. It's me fighting for my children. It's me fighting for my parents. It's me fighting for my grandparents. It's me fighting for my community, alright? I have a desire to make music as well as I can to communicate with people as good as I can. I want people to know that that's what we do. I want people to know that that's what we can do."
Encouraging the next generation, she said, "We hold different gifts. Someone else's gifting might be fashion. Might be hair. Might be consoling someone. It might be this microphone. But that gifting is very important because somebody out there needs your gift. So don't sell your gift short."
She also celebrated individuality, saying, "All of our differences, all of our uniqueness, that's the beauty, y'all. We don't have to sound the same. We don't have to look the same. We don't have to be the same. I'm an artist here, but you know what? I'm a mother. My son John celebrates his 23rd birthday today, and he gave us permission to do this."
The emotional moments continued as her son John came onstage on his birthday to hug his mom. After embracing her son, Hill turned her attention to her children and reflected on the inspiration behind her groundbreaking debut album. (Additionally, Hill has six children, including John: Zion, 28; Selah, 27; Joshua, 24; Sara, 18; and Micah, 14.)
"When I made The Miseducation [of Lauryn Hill], I was inspired by you. Know that. I was inspired by the beauty. I was inspired by our potential. I knew it was possible. I dreamed it. I saw it, and I had to manifest it through song. Thank you so much, and I'm so glad that you love the music. Love and respect y'all. God bless you."
She then widened her message, urging the audience to uplift and celebrate one another.
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"Thank you all the legends and all the greats who paved the road for all of us. Let's celebrate each other. Let's honor each other. Let's respect each other. If nobody else shows us respect, let's respect each other. If nobody else loves us, let's love on each other. And you know what's gonna happen? They gonna start loving us. Yeah. They already do, first of all. But we're gonna show them how we wanna be loved," said Hill.
She closed with another memorable line: "It's intimidating sometimes we shine so great."
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
Before accepting the award, Hill was introduced by actor, rapper and songwriter Ice Cube. The tribute performance featured everyone from War and Treaty and Nas to SZA and Doechii. A selection of songs — many from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill — was performed by Lizzo, Rapsody, Doja Cat, Common and Queen Latifah, with appearances from three of Hill's children: Selah, Joshua "YG" and Zion.
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
Hill danced throughout the star-studded tribute, but she wasn't content to stay in the audience. After realizing no one was set to perform "Ex-Factor," she jumped onstage and sang it herself.
"I wasn't supposed to perform, but I heard nobody was doing this one," she said.
Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty
The inaugural award "honors the pioneers who mastered their craft and never let go of the culture. This distinction belongs to the artists and creators whose body of work has remained essential not because the culture held on to them, but because they never stopped holding on to it," according to a press release.
Connie Orlando, the EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy for BET, said that Hill "is the very definition of a living legend."
"Across every era, she has never chased the moment; she has shaped it," she wrote in a press release.
The singer-songwriter rose to fame as a member of The Fugees, who released hit songs like "Killing Me Softly" and "Ready or Not." Hill released her debut solo album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, in 1998.
In 2024, Hill performed at the BET Awards with son YG Marley. They were later joined by her Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean.
At this year's show, Cardi B led the pack with nods in six categories, followed by Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist with five each.
Teyana Taylor received the Icon of the Year award, while Sylvia Rhone received the Ultimate Icon Award.
The 2026 BET Awards are airing live from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, June 28, 2026 on BET.
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