Teyana Taylor sobbed as Janet Jackson presented her with the Icon of the Year Award at the 2026 BET Awards .

And the fact that the “Control” singer was set to present Taylor the honor was kept a secret, even to the Golden Globe-winning actress herself.

“Oh my God. Bitch, I’m gagging,” Taylor said as she took the stage to accept the esteem. “They did not tell me Janet was coming, bitch, and it’s so crazy because when Kehlani said, ‘Janet is here,’ I said, bitch, is that the surprise? I wasn’t sure!”

Taylor began by thanking Jackson, whom she called her “biggest inspiration.”

“I love you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you for always seeing me. Thank you for every text, every hug, every talk. You are my biggest inspiration,” Taylor said of Jackson. “Everybody who knows me know how I feel about you, the fact that you even took up the time to be here to celebrate with me, this is crazy. I love you so much.…