The 2022 BET Awards are officially underway and Taraji P. Henson is back as host of the culture’s biggest night. Last year, she used the platform to honor iconic Black women with outfits that paid homage to some of the hottest looks of groundbreaking artists throughout the years.

This year, she opened the show with an ode to Black excellence and reminded everyone that tonight serves as a “reminder that we don’t need any other shows to give us accolades we can give ourselves.”

She also took a moment to address the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. “A weapon that can take lives has more power than a woman who can give lives…if she chooses to,” said Henson.

Executive producers of the show, Connie Orlando and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, previously told Entertainment Tonight that Henson was the number one choice to return as host of this year’s BET Awards. “I think we asked her three minutes after we finished last year’s show because she’s just so phenomenal and she’s the queen of multihat,” said Orlando.

“She can do anything – she has done everything and this is just the perfect home for her,” Orlando added. Her counterpart supported the sentiment. “It’s always great when you have a host who’s engaged not only with the show, but with the culture and resonates with our audience,” Rouzan-Clay explained.

Fans are in for a big treat tonight. Henson told the outlet that there will be quite a few outfit changes throughout the show, and revealed that the night will “be pretty legendary.” She also hinted that “some friends” will join her throughout the night.

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