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Great news for all those hitting the beach this weekend: Come Sunday night, when 48 hours of sun and alcohol have destroyed your energy level, you’ll be treated to an entire evening of sitting in front of your TV. The BET Awards return Sunday at 8 p.m. for a night of music, movies, sports, and of course, fashion.
If this year's broadcast is anything like the last, expect it to be a) very, very long (the 2015 show lasted four hours), and b) highly fashion-centric. Last year, Rihanna wore an excellent metallic blazer, Zendaya a glittering shirtdress (try to picture that). Meanwhile, Nicki Minaj wore two outfits, the latter a black-and-white body-con dress covered with cutouts. Amber Rose and Blac Chyna also wore identical white three-piece suits, with crop tops in place of vests, of course.
Because the awards span across many corners of entertainment, there’ll be stars from all walks of famehood (e.g. in 2014, Paris Hilton was there, inexplicably). Below, everything else you need to know before tuning in on Sunday.
The Nominees
The biggest names in hip-hop and pop are all represented, with Drake, Kanye, and Kendrick Lamar going head to head in the Best Male Hip-Hop Artist category, with Nicki Minaj, Missy Elliott, and Lil’ Kim competing for Female Hip-Hop Artist. For Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, it’s between Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, and others; Chris Brown, The Weeknd, Jeremih, and more will compete in the male category.
For Best New Artist, it’s Alessia Cara alongside Kehlani, Andra Day, and Bryson Tiller, while Video of the Year nominees includes "Formation," "Hotline Bling," "Work," "Don’t," and "Alright."
In the two male and female sports categories, notable nominees include Serena Williams, Gabrielle Douglas, Cam Newton, Odell Beckham Jr., Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kobe Bryant. Over in movies, Best Actress and Actor nominees include Gabrielle Union, Kerry Washington, Taraji P. Henson, Viola Davis, Tracee Ellis Ross, Idris Elba, and Michael B. Jordan.
Along with the nominees, the ceremony will also honor Samuel L. Jackson with the Lifetime Achievement Award and Jesse Williams with the Humanitarian Award. For the full list of nominees, head here.
The Presenters
Aside from returning hosts and Black-ish stars Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson, other artists and actors taking the stage include Jamie Foxx, Taraji P. Henson, DJ Khaled, Gabrielle Union, Tinashe, and plenty more.
The Performers
As with any music-focused awards show, the real reason to watch is, of course, the performances. Throughout the night, you’ll hear songs from Jennifer Hudson, French Montana, The Roots, Janelle Monae, Stevie Wonder (performing a tribute to Prince), Desiigner, Erykah Badu, Future, Usher, Alicia Keys, The Roots, D’Angelo, and more. Billboard also reports that Chloe x Halle, who are signed to Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment label, are also performing, leading some to believe the Queen herself might also show up (!?!?!). For the full list of performers, head here.
How to Watch
When
The awards ceremony will begin at 8 p.m. EST on Sunday, June 26th. There will also be a live stream of the red carpet starting at 5:30 p.m. EST, which you can watch here.
Where
Though the actual awards show will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, they will be broadcast live on BET.