Hosting the BET Awards is no small task, especially when the room is filled with stars from every corner of entertainment, music, and culture. However, plenty of our favorite celebrities have stepped up to the plate time and time again.
Over the years, comedians like Kevin Hart, Chris Rock, Cedric the Entertainer, and several others have taken on hosting duties. Representing for the ladies, Mo’Nique became the first woman to host the BET Awards at the 2003 show, while Taraji P. Henson followed with an incredible three-time run. The ceremony has also had its share of memorable co-hosts, including Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, plus Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson.
From couples to comedians, here’s a look at 14 of the greatest BET Awards hosts of all time. Scroll through the list below and let us know who you’d put at No. 1.
1. Kevin Hart
First up, we’ve got Kevin Hart, whose 2011 debut as the BET Awards host at just 31 made him the youngest comedian ever to take the stage — until Druski, that is, who was just a few months younger as the 2026 host. “Nobody’s safe tonight,” he joked during his opening monologue before roasting celebrities left and right, giving us his "Real Husbands of Hollywood" parody, and bringing his Chocolate Droppa persona to the stage. He returned for the 2025 BET Awards, where fans got much of the same fun, just with a new group of famous faces for him to joke with and share the spotlight.
2. Mo’Nique
Mo’Nique is the BET Awards host who set the bar so high, just the thought of matching her presence onstage probably leaves other hosts trembling. Thankfully, plenty of the women who came after her rose to the occasion. Hosting from 2003 to 2004 and again in 2007, she provided endless laughs, unforgettable performances (like her iconic “Crazy in Love” tribute right in front of Beyoncé), and consistently unmatched energy.
3. Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx’s first time hosting the BET Awards in 2009 came under incredibly difficult circumstances, but if anyone could rise to the occasion, it was him. Michael Jackson had tragically died just days before the ceremony, so the actor and comedian took the stage in a “Thriller”-esque red leather jacket and crystal-encrusted glove while reminding everyone that the King of Pop had grown white men fainting. When he was back in 2018, it unfortunately wasn’t much different, given XXXTENTACION had passed away earlier in the week, but we did at least get to see him paying tribute to Anita Baker, giving Black Panther its flowers, and more.
4. Taraji P. Henson
There are very few award show hosts who make us feel prouder to be Black than Taraji P. Henson. Every time the "Empire" actress has stepped onstage, she’s made room to celebrate the many hardworking men and women of color in entertainment. Case in point: her opening monologue at the 2022 BET Awards. From flipping Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” into “It’s About Us” to stressing why everyone needs to show up at the polls, Henson really knows how to use her platform. It’s no wonder BET brought her back in 2021, 2022, and 2024.
5. Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer
We couldn’t make it through this list without mentioning the OGs. Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer were the very first hosts of the BET Awards in 2001, followed by their return the next year. Both are already hilarious on their own, so getting them together on one stage was a real treat and the perfect way to kick off the award show's long-standing presence.
6. Regina Hall
Regina Hall hosted the ceremony for the first time in 2019. She cracked jokes, shared the stage with Sugar Bear for a celebration of go-go music, and gave us plenty of moments in between. By the way, her bit after losing Best Actress to Regina King was absolutely hilarious. “I done put on a dress, like a peacock, and I lost? I danced and s**t. I don’t dance!” she said before walking off-camera. Of course, the Scary Movie star gave us many more laughs that night.
7. Queen Latifah
The “U.N.I.T.Y.” rapper is truly a jack of all trades. From being a lyrical genius and owning the big screen to hosting award shows, there’s not much Queen Latifah can’t do. During her BET Awards hosting gig in 2010, she brought back Cleo from Set It Off, flirted with Drake over Timbaland’s “Say Something” instrumental, and thoroughly entertained audiences the whole night. There’s nothing anyone can say that would make us hate Latifah!
8. Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson
Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson hosting the BET Awards back-to-back says a lot about how massively popular “black-ish” was, for one, and how insanely likable its stars were, for another. The two were just as magnetic onstage together as they were onscreen. It also helps that during both years they hosted, 2015 and 2016, BET had some of its best performer lineups.
9. Samuel L. Jackson
Who doesn’t love Samuel L. Jackson? The Oscar-winning actor and producer hosted the BET Awards in 2012, and while he may not be a career comedian like some of the other names on this list, he’s always entertaining to watch. In the lead-up to his hosting gig, Jackson parodied Nicki Minaj’s “Beez in the Trap,” then later performed his own take on JAY-Z and Kanye West’s “N**gas in Paris” during the ceremony.
10. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith
We didn’t expect to see Will Smith shaking it like a stripper at the 2005 BET Awards, but it definitely happened. The Men in Black actor co-hosted the ceremony with his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith, and the two had the audience, including Beyoncé, cracking up.
11. Druski
Before Druski even took the stage for the 2026 BET Awards, he was already proving why he was the right man for the job. After repeatedly going viral for his hilarious skits on social media and YouTube, he brought his wild comedy to a few pre-show teasers. He cracked jokes about BET regulars like Jamie Foxx and Sexyy Red, and revisited his megachurch pastors skit that had the internet in shambles.