Hosted by comedian Druski, the 2026 BET Awards will air live on Sunday, June 28
Credit: Erika Goldring/Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- Lauryn Hill will be honored with the Living Legend Icon Award at the 2026 BET Awards for her cultural impact
- Hill is the first person to receive the award, sponsored by Sprite
- The Fugees star last performed at the BET Awards in 2024 with her son YG Marley
Lauryn Hill is a living legend.
On Thursday, June 4, BET announced that Hill, 51, will receive the Living Legend Icon Award sponsored by Sprite at the upcoming 2026 BET Awards.
According to a press release, 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."
"Ms. Lauryn Hill is the very definition of a living legend," Connie Orlando, the EVP of Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy for BET, said in the release. "Across every era, she has never chased the moment; she has shaped it."
Orlando continued, "Her artistry redefined what was possible in our music and gave a generation permission to be fearless, spiritual, and free. Her influence is woven into the fabric of the culture, and it is a profound honor to celebrate her legacy on Culture's Biggest Night."
Though the Living Legend Icon Award is new, in the past, the BET Awards gave out the Ultimate Icon Award. Last year, Snoop Dogg, Jamie Foxx, Mariah Carey and Kirk Franklin were the recipients.
Hill rose to fame as a member of The Fugees, whose 1996 album The Score included hits like "Killing Me Softly" and "Ready or Not." Then, in 1998, she released her debut solo album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and it earned her five awards at the 1999 Grammys.
In 2024, Hill performed at the BET Awards with son YG Marley and she was later joined by her Fugees bandmate Wyclef Jean for a performance of their 1995 rap track "Fu-Gee-La."
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty
The performance came amid Hill's Miseducation Anniversary tour. Months prior, in May 2024, Apple Music crowned Hill's album No. 1 on its inaugural 100 best albums of all time list and honored her with a special dinner.
In a statement, she said of the achievement, “This is my award, but it's a rich, deep narrative, and involves so many people, and so much sacrifice, and so much time, and so much collective love.”
The 2026 BET Awards will air live on Sunday, June 28 at 8 p.m. ET on BET and will be hosted by comedian Druski.
This year, Cardi B leads the pack with nods in six categories, followed by Kendrick Lamar and Mariah the Scientist with five each.
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