What Time Does The 2025 BET Awards Start? Everything To Know

From legendary honorees to electrifying performances, nostalgic reunions and a plethora of activations, the 2025 BET Awards promise a celebration of Black culture’s past, present, and future.

This year, the BET Awards is set to commemorate 25 years of Black achievements, affectionately coined as Black excellence. Respectively, the staple of an awards show has served as a cultural epicenter where accolades across the sectors of music, film, sports, fashion, and overall entertainment are disbursed. As the BET Awards epochs a quarter-century in showcasing what is affectionately understood as a form of Black excellence, abound is a trail of historic moments, necessary gravitas, and groundbreaking wins that define Black excellence.

For the second time since 2011, Kevin Hart is slated as the host for the evening, where he will not only provide comedic relief but also aid in the historic celebrations of the night.

BET Ultimate Icon Award Recipients

Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Snoop Dogg, and Kirk Franklin are set to receive the accolade of The Ultimate Icon Award, one that is typically reserved for household-named Black cultural figures with a redefining influence upon their respective sectors.

Arguably among the most decorated female vocalists in American music, Mariah Carey is not only representative of being among the most commercially successful Black female singers, with 19 number one hits and over 200 million album sales, but the multi-Grammy Award winner has made cultural history as a victorious genre blender between R&B, pop, and hip-hop music, an act that cites her ability to bridge communities and audiences.

A comedian, an actor, a singer, a producer, Jamie Foxx is an undeniable multi-talent who is exemplary in being victorious in anything he pursues. Just two awards away from obtaining EGOT status, for over three decades, Foxx has maintained a repertoire of not only staunch professionalism, but also stands as a benefactor of Black male representation in entertainment.

If there is any figure in hip-hop culture who has amassed and redefined the conception of household name status, it is indeed that of Snoop Dogg. For over 30 years, the West Coast phenom has not only mastered the sound of West Coast gangsta rap, but has moreover crossed into acquiring a commendable repertoire outside of his musicianship and emcee stance, as a staunch business tycoon, be it merchandise, gaming, cannabis, tech, philanthropy, food, or alcohol.

Kirk Franklin is without a doubt a global posterman for gospel music, as he has managed to maintain relevance throughout the generations. Respectively a multi-Grammy Award winner, 20 to be exact, making him the most Grammy Award-winning gospel artist in history. Alongside 14 number one albums, Franklin is without a doubt one of the most omnipresent gospel acts in history.

The 2025 BET Awards promise a interesting showdown, with Kendrick Lamar leading the pack with an impressive ten nominations, including Album of the Year for “GNX” and Video of the Year for “Not Like Us”. Close behind are Doechii, Drake, Future, and GloRilla, each securing six nominations, ensuring an electrifying and unforgettable awards season.

Aside from honoring the tenured in the game, the culture remains enthusiastic about who is next. The key categories to watch this year are, without a doubt, Album of the Year, Video of the Year, Best Male and Female Hip Hop Artist, Best Male and Female R&B/Pop Artist, Best New Artist, Best Collaboration, and the highly anticipated Viewer’s Choice Award. These accolades are undoubtedly responsible for catapulting potential emerging cultural staples.

The landmark Monday evening will feature five confirmed performances, including showcases from Leon Thomas, Playboi Carti, GloRilla, Teyana Taylor, and Lil Wayne.

The BET Experience Fan-Fest

This year’s BET Experience Fan-Fest is packaged with a 4-day league of activations, including a 3-day exhilarating concert series which kicked off on Thursday, June 5, with Jamaican dancehall icon Buju Banton, whose presence on the BET stage marked his first time in 20 years performing in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Palladium.

Sunday, June 8 will take on the R&B-only experience featuring Jagged Edge, Donnell Jones, and Eric Bellinger, followed by the ultimate classic hip-hop mini fest, presented by The Roots, slated “The Class of ’95,” which any hip-hop enthusiast will immediately recognize as the era-defining year when the artists on the respective lineup released a signature mark that defined the phenomenon of an era. Gracing the stage at Hollywood Bowl for what will be a history-making performance are Lil Kim, Redman and Method Man, Havoc, Raekwon, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Goodie Mob, DJ Quik, E-40, and The Roots themselves, respectively.

The Fan-Fest will also feature a two-day convention on June 7 and 8, hosted by Bow Wow, with GloRilla and DJ Mustard slated as headliners. Saturday, June 7, will hold the celebrity basketball game, a mashup featuring content creators, actors, and artists, including Rapsody, Rob49, Jabari Banks, Devon Franklin, and more. Flau’Jae, Ty Young, Matt Barnes, and Offset are slated as coaches, while hip-hop legend MC Lyte is playing announcer, and rapper Lola Brooke will be stationed as the audience correspondent.

There are also some culturally nostalgic reunions taking place through the BET Experience, including The Comicview Reunion presented by Elliot Brothers Entertainment on June 6 and 7, hosted by Sheryl Underwood and Chris Spencer.

106 & Park Gets Its Flowers

And history is on the horizon as the commemoration of the 25th anniversary of the iconic music video countdown show, 106 and Park, is set to take place and will welcome the reunion of all of the iconic show’s hosts, including Free, AJ Calloway, Julissa Bermudez, Keshia Chanté, Rocsi Diaz, and Terrence J. There will be several activations accommodating the celebration, including a rendition of the show’s Freestyle Fridays, a conversation featuring the roster of hosts, a recreation of the signature 106 set, Terrence J reprising his 106 hosting on the red carpet, and a live tribute to the nostalgic show on Monday night.

For those who grew up watching 106 & Park as teens, the show was more than just after-school entertainment. It was a literal cultural ritual for many of those teens. Now, many of those original viewers are adults, with some are married with children, others have earned doctorates, and many have become business owners. The 25th anniversary reunion offers a chance to revisit a time when creative artistry in hip-hop and R&B was at its revolutionary peak, and to relive the moments that helped define a generation.

106 & Park was a key outlet for hip-hop and R&B music videos, particularly amid that bling-bling era, giving artists exposure beyond the radio and letting fans directly influence which songs rose to the top. It was the launchpad for countless careers, providing a national stage for both established acts and emerging talent through its video countdowns, artist interviews, and legendary Freestyle Friday battles. The show carried the torch of visual storytelling in Black music, building on the legacy of Ralph McDaniels’ Video Music Box, the interview style of Yo! MTV Raps, and the intensity of Rap City In The Basement’s freestyles.

There was also the two-day WayMaker Men’s Summit on June 5 to 6, envoyed by WayMaker Media founder and president of Black Entertainment Television media sales, Louis Carr, featuring a heap of influential Black men across several sectors, including Michael Jai White, Kirk Franklin, Dr. Jamal Bryant, Wallo, David Banner, Vic Mensa, and many, many more.

The 2025 BET Awards is set to go live from Los Angeles on Monday, June 9, at 8 PM ET/PT at the Peacock Theater. The red carpet will lead the evening starting at 6 PM ET/PT.