Hosting the BET Awards<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n Trending<\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019Nique 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.<\/p>\n From couples to comedians, here\u2019s a look at 14 of the greatest BET Awards hosts of all time. Scroll through the list below and let us know who you\u2019d put at No. 1.<\/p>\n First up, we\u2019ve got Kevin Hart, whose 2011 debut as the BET Awards host at just 31 made him the youngest comedian ever to take the stage \u2014 until Druski, that is, who was just a few months younger as the 2026 host. \u201cNobody\u2019s safe tonight,\u201d 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<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n Mo\u2019Nique 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 \u201cCrazy in Love\u201d tribute right in front of Beyonc\u00e9), and consistently unmatched energy.<\/p>\n Jamie Foxx\u2019s 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 \u201cThriller\u201d-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\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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<\/a>. From flipping Kendrick Lamar\u2019s \u201cNot Like Us\u201d into \u201cIt\u2019s About Us\u201d to stressing why everyone needs to show up at the polls, Henson really knows how to use her platform. It\u2019s no wonder BET brought her back in 2021, 2022, and 2024.<\/p>\n We couldn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, and gave us plenty of moments in between. By the way, her bit after losing Best Actress to Regina King was absolutely hilarious. \u201cI done put on a dress, like a peacock, and I lost? I danced and s**t. I don\u2019t dance!\u201d she said before walking off-camera. Of course, the Scary Movie star gave us many more laughs that night.<\/p>\n The \u201cU.N.I.T.Y.\u201d rapper is truly a jack of all trades. From being a lyrical genius and owning the big screen to hosting award shows, there\u2019s not much Queen Latifah can\u2019t do. During her BET Awards hosting gig in 2010, she brought back Cleo from Set It Off, flirted with Drake over Timbaland\u2019s \u201cSay Something\u201d instrumental, and thoroughly entertained audiences the whole night. There\u2019s nothing anyone can say that would make us hate Latifah!<\/p>\n Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson hosting the BET Awards back-to-back says a lot about how massively popular \u201cblack-ish<\/a>\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Who doesn\u2019t 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\u2019s always entertaining to watch. In the lead-up to his hosting gig, Jackson parodied Nicki Minaj\u2019s \u201cBeez in the Trap<\/a>,\u201d then later performed his own take on JAY-Z and Kanye West\u2019s \u201cN**gas in Paris\u201d during the ceremony.<\/p>\n We didn\u2019t 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 Beyonc\u00e9, cracking up.<\/p>\n1. Kevin Hart<\/strong><\/h2>\n
2. Mo\u2019Nique<\/strong><\/h2>\n
3. Jamie Foxx<\/strong><\/h2>\n
4. Taraji P. Henson<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. Steve Harvey and Cedric the Entertainer<\/strong><\/h2>\n
6. Regina Hall<\/strong><\/h2>\n
7. Queen Latifah<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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8. Tracee Ellis Ross and Anthony Anderson<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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9. Samuel L. Jackson<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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10. Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith<\/strong><\/h2>\n
11. Druski<\/strong><\/h2>\n