Taraji P. Henson, a DMV native who was born in DC and grew up in Prince George’s County, returns to the BET Awards 2024 as host. The show will broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater on June 30, 2024 at 8pm EST from Los Angeles, California. Henson is a six time BET Awards winner as an actress in movies like Hustle & Flow and Hidden Figures, and the tv show Empire.
Henson graduated from Oxon Hill High School in neighboring Prince George’s County in 1988. She attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where she intended to study electrical engineering, before returning to the area when she transferred to Howard University to study drama. To pay for college, she worked mornings as a an administrative assistant at The Pentagon and evenings as a singing-dancing waitress on a dinner-cruise ship, the Spirit of Washington (according to an archived Vanity Fair interview).
This year’s show will feature R&B artist Usher, 45, who will receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement BET Award. He will be honored with a line-up of surprise guests who will take the stage to celebrate the artist. Previous Lifetime Achievement BET Award recipients include Whitney Houston, Prince, Queen Latifah, Anita Baker, Mary J. Blige, Samuel Jackson, Lionel Richie, and more.
“I am thrilled to be returning as the host of the ‘BET Awards’ for the third time. I am also looking forward to celebrating my peers and the impact of our culture on entertainment.” Henson said in a statement. She previously hosted the awards show in 2021 and 2022.
Featured photo courtesy @TarajiPHenson on instagram.