Mariah Carey received the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2025 BET Awards, marking her first-ever BET Award.

During Monday’s (June 9) awards show, Carey was handed her prize after an emotional and lengthy speech from Busta Rhymes, who called the singer “timeless” while listing all of her accolades. She also acknowledged it was her first BET Award ever.

“My life and career have been quite the adventure,” Carey said during her acceptance speech. “It took me a while, but I realized life is far too short to live for anyone else’s approval.”

She then went on to encourage everyone to be a “diva” while embracing who they are.

Mariah Carey, Jamie Foxx, Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg were all honored with the BET Ultimate Icon Awards during Monday’s celebration. The award “celebrates their decades of groundbreaking contributions to music, entertainment, advocacy, and community impact.”

Earlier in the night, Stevie Wonder surprised everyone at the 2025 BET Awards when he stepped out to honor his longtime friend Jamie Foxx.

During his own acceptance speech, Foxx thanked all his friends and loved ones for showing up for him while he went through medical complications caused by a stroke in 2023. He added that when he saw the “In Memoriam” segment, it made him reflect on his own health.

“You can’t go through something like that and not testify,” Foxx said. “A career that I could only thank God for.”

Earlier in the night, Carey brought out Rakim to perform her new song “Type Dangerous” alongside Anderson .Paak. Rakim popped up as a surprise appearance to deliver a special rendition of his verse from Eric B. & Rakim‘s 1986 debut single “Eric B. Is President,” which “Type Dangerous” samples.

Katy Perry’s latest performance in Sydney was marked by a memorable moment, with an individual escorted away by security after a stage invasion.

The incident in question took place at Perry’s performance at Sydney’s Qudos Bank Arena on Monday (June 9). The singer’s second of three sold-out dates at the venue for the Australian leg of her Lifetimes Tour, the show began as normal, but soon saw an unexpected figure appearing onstage during Perry’s performance of 2008 single “Hot N Cold.”

Footage of the incident shows an individual appearing onstage, putting his arm around Perry, who instinctively turns away as the fan continues to dance. “There’s never going to be another show like this, so just enjoy it!” Perry told the audience in response.

The stage invader can then be seen being escorted offstage by two members of the security team, who wrestled him into the waiting arms of other security personnel. “What the hell is going on?” Perry can be heard asking the crowd mid-chorus.

According to a report from the Sydney Morning Herald, the individual in question has been identified as Johnson Wen, a “serial prankster” known for posting videos of stage invasions to TikTok under the username @pyjamamann. Wen’s videos show him previously appearing onstage alongside The Weeknd in Melbourne in 2023, and invading the pitch for numerous sporting events.

New South Wales Police reported to the publication that Wen was arrested and taken to Auburn police station where he was subsequently charged with “entering enclosed land and obstructing a person in performance of work or duties.” 

Wen has since been granted conditional bail ahead of a court appearance on June 23, and has been issued a six month ban from the Sydney Olympic Park precinct which houses Qudos Bank Arena.

Perry’s tour continues on Tuesday (June 10) with another performance in Sydney, before dates in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.

Teyana Taylor transformed into a sexy fembot for the television debut performance of “Long Time” at the 2025 BET Awards on Monday night (June 9).

While the show’s host Kevin Hart was too busy pretending to be Usher by trying to feed Tisha Campbell and Tichina Arnold cherries while wearing a fuzzy red coat, Kerry Washington stepped in to take over his duties at the Peacock Theater at L.A. Live. “It’s her first BET performance. She’s in a class of her own,” Washington announced before Hart interjected with a quip: “If it’s her first performance, it sounds like we popping her cherry!”

But nothing seemed that sweet once the lights dimmed. Women dressed in all-red held burning bouquets of roses on the smoky stage, while Taraji P. Henson — who floated in a high-necked white gown with burn holes at the bottom — delivered an impassioned monologue about how a relationship left her in ruins, but she would rise from the ashes like a phoenix.

Three robotic female dancers then appeared before the Harlem-bred multihyphenate floated above the stage looking like Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama’s famous sleek fembots while performing “Long Time.” The pulsating club track served as the perfect sonic backdrop for her and her dancers’ glitchy choreo.

“Long Time” is the lead single from Taylor’s upcoming fourth studio album Escape Room, which is due in August via Def Jam. This marks the end of her five-year musical hiatus: Taylor hasn’t dropped an album since 2020’s The Album.

Lucky Daye, Luke James and Miles Caton joined forces to pay homage to one of music’s late icons and sonic architects in Quincy Jones, who died at age 91 in November.

Daye, James and Caton’s performance was short yet sweet, as they delivered a soothing rendition of the sultry “The Secret Garden (Sweet Seduction Suite)” as part of the in memoriam segment at the 2025 BET Awards.

Daye showcased his vocal range and did his best Al B. Sure impersonation while covering the 1989 classic, which landed on Q’s Back on the Block album, before passing the baton to James and the Sinners actor.

The in memoriam tribute also featured James Earl Jones, Nikki Giovanni, Wanda Smith, Tito Jackson, DJ Clark Kent, Roy Ayers and Lou Donaldson.

Fans on social media seemed to want more from the tribute to the legendary producer. “Now they know that Quincy tribute was not nearly enough,” one person wrote to X. Another added: “Wait… that was it for the Quincy Jones tribute???”

Lucky Daye, who has long been a fan of Jones’, recalled a conversation he had with the late music dignitary while paying his condolences to Q following his death. “I told Quincy that idgi be I move, sing n create w love but I’m homeless w nothin,” Daye wrote to his IG Story in November. “He said f— love, yk theory? I said yea, then my no guidance having empathetic a— needed to hear that. Forever in my heart.”

Prior to the 2025 BET Awards, the Grammy Awards and Oscars earlier this year each delivered star-studded tribute performances to Quincy Jones.

Stevie Wonder surprised everyone at the 2025 BET Awards when he stepped out to honor his longtime friend Jamie Foxx.

During the 2025 BET Awards on Monday (June 9), Jamie Foxx was set to be honored with the Ultimate Icon Award. Throughout the night, it was teased that a “special guest” would appear onstage to give Foxx his award. That guest was none other than Stevie Wonder.

Babyface and Ludacris also popped out to pay tribute to the artistic titan, performing a cover of “Unpredictable” — the Billboard Hot 100 top 10 title track from Foxx’s 2005 album — while Tank tackled a cover of Ray Charles’ “Night Time is the Right Time.” Foxx famously portrayed Charles in the 2004 film Ray, for which he won the best actor Oscar. Jennifer Hudson then took the helm and bodied a soulful cover of “Gold Digger,” a 10-week Hot 100 No. 1 for Ye (formerly Kanye West) and Foxx back in 2005. T-Pain and Doug E. Fresh then popped out to close out the celebration with a rockin’ cover of the 2009 No. 2 Hot 100 hit “Blame It.” Through it all, Foxx could be seen laughing, nodding along and having a great time.

“Jamie, look at me!” Stevie joked at the end of the show before inviting Jamie to speak. “I remember seeing you the first time at a club, playing piano and singing, but I knew from the moment I heard you sing that you had so much more. I admire and celebrate your talent and your love — for blind people. I’m very happy to be here tonight to see you honored as you so very well deserve.”

During his acceptance speech, Foxx thanked all his friends and loved ones for showing up for him while he went through life-threatening medical complications back in 2023. He added that when he saw the “In Memorium” segment, it made him reflect on his own health scare.

“You can’t go through something like that and not testify,” Foxx concluded to a roar of applause. “A career that I could only thank God for.”