BET Honors 2016

What does extraordinary look like? Last night the BET Honors aired and we saw some of the biggest names in entertainment, business and politics gather to honor black excellence. Hosted by Arsenio Hall and taped at the Warner Theatre (Washington, DC), honorees included Academy Award-nominated director Lee Daniels, creator of the hit television show Empire; Mellody Hobson, president of Ariel Investments, one of the largest African-American-owned money-management and mutual fund companies in the U.S.; Eric Holder Jr., the first African-American U.S. attorney general; Grammy Award-winning vocal powerhouse Patti LaBelle; and music mogul L.A. Reid, chairman and CEO of Epic Records.

Performances included Usher and Toni Braxton (in tribute to L.A. Reid), who sang a collection of their hits from the 1990s and 2000s; Eddie Levert and Fantasia in two powerful tributes to LaBelle; Jussie Smollett (who received a standing ovation for his dedication to the #BlackLivesMatter movement) in tribute to Daniels; Ledisi, who honored Natalie Cole; and Jazmine Sullivan and Raheem DeVaughn, who performed a tribute to Maurice White of Earth, Wind & Fire.

Catch the re-air on BET.

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