Teyana Taylor accepted the inaugural Icon of the Year award at the BET Awards on Sunday night, receiving the honor from fellow icon Janet Jackson. Taylor became visibly emotional as Jackson took the stage to present the award.
"It seems like only yesterday our rose from Harlem grew out of the concrete and blossomed into our Icon of the Year," Jackson said, acknowledging Taylor's achievements, including recent Grammy and Oscar nominations and a Golden Globe win for her role in "One Battle After Another."
Upon receiving the award, Taylor expressed her gratitude, calling Jackson her "biggest inspiration." "Oh my God, bitch, I’m gagging," Taylor joked. "I love you so much. Thank you for always seeing me. There would be no me without you."
Taylor reflected on the significance of the "Icon of the Year" title, stating, "I worked my ass off 20 years for this. So I'm not accepting what I've earned with arrogance. I'm accepting what I've earned with gratitude." She also spoke about her career philosophy, adding, "Most of my career has been spent building my own dream while helping somebody else build theirs, because I believe there's room for all of us to win, even if that means pouring from my own cup into someone else's so they can overflow. That's pretty damn iconic if you ask me, baby."
In addition to the Icon of the Year award, Taylor was recognized with multiple other honors, including Best Actress, Video Director of the Year, and the first Fashion Vanguard Award at this year's ceremony. Other performers and presenters at the event included Cardi B, Doechii, Jill Scott, and Kehlani.