BET Awards 2025 took place Monday night, with several reasons to celebrate.
This year’s event commemorated 45 years of the network as well as 25 years of the award show. It also marked the 25th anniversary of music video show 106 & Park, which it honored with a special tribute that brought the audience back to the era with former hosts, a recreated set of the show and performances from Ashanti, Jim Jones, Keyshia Cole, Mya, T.I., B2K and Bow Wow.
Host Kevin Hart fooled throughout the night, joking he’s banning afterparties because “thats where s*** gets slippery” — a dig at Diddy and his freak-offs. He also reunited the cast of Real Husbands of Hollywood, brought back his Chocolate Droppa alter-ego and parodied Usher‘s cherry-giving segment.
Among the distributed awards, SZA won best R&B/pop female artist, Kendrick Lamar took home album of the year, Chris Brown‘s “Residuals” won the viewer’s choice award, and Doechii won best female hip-hop artist, taking time to “speak up for all oppressed people” after Donald Trump deployed National Guard troops against those protesting ICE’s immigration raids.
Mariah Carey, Snoop Dogg and Kirk Franklin received the Ultimate Icon award, with Snoop performing a medley of hits. Jamie Foxx, who also received the honor, thanked God, his family and Black people for their prayers during his near-death experience.
“I cannot even being to express the love that I feel from everybody out there,” he said, noting he watched the in memoriam thinking, “Man it could have been me.”
“I don’t know why I went through what I went through but I know my second chance, I’m not gonna turn down,” he added, noting the Icon Award is the most important award he’s ever received because it comes from his people.
The show also included performances from best new artist winner Leon Thomas, as well as Lil Wayne, GloRilla, Ledisi, Teyana Taylor and Playboi Carti.
Amir “Questlove” Thompson has paid tribute to Sly Stone, who has passed away at the age of 82.
Questlove directed the documentary about the Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), which premiered on Hulu and Disney+ in February.
In a post on Instagram, Questlove writes that while Sly is gone, “the changes he sparked while here will echo forever.”
“From the moment his music reached me in the early 1970s, it became a part of my soul,” he writes. “Sly was a giant — not just for his groundbreaking work with the Family Stone, but for the radical inclusivity and deep human truths he poured into every note. His songs weren’t just about fighting injustice; they were about transforming the self to transform the world.”
“He dared to be simple in the most complex ways — using childlike joy, wordless cries, and nursery rhyme cadences to express adult truths,” he adds. “His work looked straight at the brightest and darkest parts of life and demanded we do the same.”
Questlove notes that while Stone battled addiction and disappeared from the spotlight, “he lived long enough to outlast many of his disciples, to feel the ripples of his genius return through hip-hop samples, documentaries, and his memoir. Still, none of that replaces the raw beauty of his original work.”
Finally, he shares, “Sly’s music will likely speak to us even more now than it did then. Thank you, Sly. You will forever live.”
Photo by Ricky Vigil M / Justin E Palmer/GC Images
This story may contain accounts and descriptions of actual or alleged events that some readers may find disturbing.
(NOTE LANGUAGE) An ex-girlfriend of Sean Combs, testifying under the pseudonym “Jane,” took the witness stand Monday as the fifth week of testimony begins in Combs’ federal racketeering and sex trafficking trial.
She told the court she almost fainted when Cassie Ventura filed her 2023 civil lawsuit against Combs, accusing him of sex trafficking and sexual assault.
“In fact, I think I did,” “Jane” testified.
“Why?” prosecutor Maurene Comey asked.
“Jane” began to sob. “Because there was three specific pages that bore a harrowing resemblance to what I was experiencing,” she testified. “These pages resembled my own experience.”
“I was bewildered. I was just in shock,” “Jane” testified. “I just reacted like, I can’t believe I’m reading my own story.”
“Jane” told the court that she exchanged text messages with Combs about the lawsuit.
In one of her messages to Combs, “Jane” wrote, “I feel like I’m reading my own sexual trauma.”
The jury also heard a recording of a phone call from Combs to “Jane” on Nov. 19, 2023, four days after Ventura’s lawsuit was filed. Federal prosecutors said the audio was taken from former Combs chief of staff Kristina Khorram’s phone after it was seized at the airport in Miami. “Jane” testified that she didn’t know that the phone call was being recorded.
“This is when I need you to be there for me,” Combs is heard saying in the recording. “You know we did all that s*** together.”
“Jane” interrupted Combs. “Who’s there for me when I have these f***** up things in my head?” “Jane” is heard saying. “I’m feeling so manipulated. What do I do with that feeling? Who’s there for me?”
Combs said, “Let’s get through this together.”
The jury heard a second recording of a call Combs made to “Jane” 22 minutes later.
“I need your friendship right now,” Combs is heard saying. “I can’t even talk on the phone. Please don’t send no texts.”
“I just needed to tell you that I need your friendship,” Combs is heard saying. “You know you ain’t got to worry about nothing else, you feel me?”
“Jane” testified that she believed Combs was referring to her rent, which he was paying.
“Jane” also testified she was with Combs when the video of him attacking Ventura first appeared on television in May 2024.
“I remember we were sleeping and one of the sons knocked on the door and said that something happened and then I was just by myself,” “Jane” told the court. “I went downstairs and could see everyone speaking amongst each other.”
She told the court that she saw Combs huddling with his team and his family to come up with a response.
“Jane” told the court that Combs showed her the final draft of a statement he had prepared in response to the video’s release. She said she “felt that it was more heartfelt and I thought it was a good enough apologetic letter, given the circumstances.”
“Jane” told the court that she talked to Combs about what she saw in the video and he told her “that was the only time they had physical violence like that.”
“Jane” then testified that she left Miami for Los Angeles, where she remembered seeing Combs’ Instagram post that said, in part, “My behavior on the video is inexcusable.”
“I didn’t feel it was genuine,” she said, referring to the post.
“Jane” told the court that after she watched Combs pledge in the post to become a “better man,” she next saw him on June 18, 2024, and confronted him about a woman he had allegedly been with on a recent trip.
“I said, ‘You’re a pedophile,’” “Jane” testified. The woman he had been with was over 18, she told the court, but added that she “felt like he was 25 or 27 years her senior.”
Continuing her testimony, “Jane” said Combs “bent over and I pushed his head on the counter.”
She then told the court that she started throwing candles and retreated to her bedroom, shouting, “Just leave, just leave” when Combs allegedly kicked open the door. She told the court she went into the bathroom, whereupon Combs allegedly kicked the bathroom door “literally off the hinges.”
“Jane” told the court that Combs “kicked me on the back of my thigh,” causing her to fall. “He put me in a chokehold on the ground, and I couldn’t breathe,” she testified, and also allegedly lifted her by her neck.
“Jane” told the court she managed to escape for about two hours before she returned to the residence, thinking he would be gone. She testified Combs was still there and kicked open the guest bedroom door, after which she ran to the patio.
“I remember that I punched him and he punched me,” “Jane” told the jury. “After that, I remember I ran into the backyard, kept saying ‘leave me alone’ and went into a deep part of the backyard.”
“Jane” testified that Combs punched and kicked her while she was balled up on the ground, grabbed her by the hair and arm and dragged her toward the house.
Inside the house, “Jane” testified, she noticed Combs’ phone.
“I took his phone and I ended up calling the girl I assumed he was with,” “Jane” told the court, adding that “Sean was holding me down and making me listen to her insults.”
In a bathroom later, “Jane” testified, she noticed two welts on her forehead and a black eye forming. She told the court that she went to take a shower, at which time Combs allegedly slapped her face three times, causing her to lose her balance.
“Sean said, ‘just put some ice on it and put an outfit on,’” “Jane” testified.
She testified she covered her bruises with makeup and swept her hair over her black eye and performed oral sex on a male escort named Anton.
“Jane” told the jury she visited Combs in Miami at the end of July 2024 and he gave her “liquid molly” to have “high octane” sex with an escort named Paul.
Her final trip to see Combs in Miami occurred in August 2024.
She did not see Combs after that but texted with him prior to his arrest. In one message, in September 2024, Combs invited “Jane” to New York. She did not go because “he got arrested.”
“Jane” has been in therapy for about three months, she told the jury.
“Have you ever filed a lawsuit against Sean?” Comey asked. “No,” she replied.
“Sitting here today how do you feel about Sean now?” Comey asked. “I just pray for his continued healing and I pray for peace for him,” “Jane” responded.
“Jane’s” direct examination is over. Court is adjourned for the day.
If you are affected by abuse and needing support, or know someone who is, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673). You can also chat online at thehotline.org or online.rainn.org, respectively.
Having made headlines in the worlds of music and cinema with their new record, NEVER ENOUGH, and its accompanying visual album, Turnstile is now entering the world of fashion.
Bassist Franz Lyons is the star of a new Guess Jeans campaign, which he tells GQ feels like a “super holy s*** moment.”
“Not only that, but they were like, ‘And you get the billboard on Sunset and La Brea [in Los Angeles],'” Lyons says.
“That whole day was just so smooth,” he adds of the shoot. “The photographer and everyone who works with Guess is just great. I got the utmost respect for [that team] because they really showed me love.”
NEVER ENOUGH is out now, and its visual album premiered at New York City’s Tribeca Festival.
There’s a lot in store for Prince fans in the future, including a movie featuring Prince’s music and a documentary, just not the one that Netflix scrapped.
According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, Londell McMillan of Prince Legacy LLC revealed at Prince Celebration 2025 that Sinners director Ryan Coogler is set to helm a jukebox musical movie featuring the artist’s songs. Coogler’s wife, Zinzi Coogler, is also involved in the project.
McMillan also talked a little about the nine-hour Netflix Prince documentary that the network scrapped back in February, sharing that the estate is planning a new doc with “an Academy Award-winning director,” although he did not identify them.
Talking about why the Netflix film was scrapped, he shared, “You will not disrespect Prince on my watch.”
McMillan also revealed that plans are in the works for a box set of Prince’s 1985 album Around the World in a Day, which featured the hit “Raspberry Beret,” as well as a vinyl version of 2015’s Hit n Run, which was originally released to streaming and on CD only.
Coco Gauff appears to be a fan of Tyler, The Creator. The tennis star quoted a song from Tyler’s latest album, Chromakopia, following her victory at the 2025 French Open.
“I didn’t think honestly that I could do it,” she said. “But I’m gonna quote Tyler, The Creator right here. He said, ‘If I ever told you I had a doubt inside me, I must be lying,'” Coco said, referring to his song “St. Chroma.” “I’d like to leave that with you guys. I think I was lying to myself and I definitely could do it.”
Coco’s mention of Tyler was perhaps her way of reciprocating after Tyler name-dropped her on another Chromakopia cut, “Thought I Was Dead.”
“I was one mil’, then a n**** hit 30/ B****, you ain’t Coco Gauff, you can’t serve me,” he raps on the song.
Cardi B recently received an award from ASCAP for being the voice of the culture, something she says she’s always been in some way or another.
“My voice has always been a reflection of what I live and what I’m living, which I feel is a true reflection of the people, the culture, my friends, my family, and the environment that I grew up in,” she said in her acceptance speech. “I like to put that in my music — my joys, my pains, my drama, everything.”
She then took the moment to call out people who have criticized her for collaborating with other songwriters.
“I hate the idea that if you don’t write every line on your own, it makes what you have to say not real. Music is a collaboration, it has always been. The biggest hits [and] the greatest records come from teamwork,” Cardi said. “They come from sharing experiences, energy, pain and joy. It’s not about ego, it’s about impact.”
She continued, “I write, I co-write, I rewrite. I speak to what’s true to me. My pen, my mind and my feelings are in every verse and in every hook. I respect every writer who brings their magic to the table. This award is not just for me, it’s for the culture.”
Cardi has only released one album, Invasion of Privacy, in 2018. Though she’s teased a new song, “Outside,” she revealed her intention is to drop all the album’s songs simultaneously.
“I don’t know if I really wanna put that song out, to be honest with you. And it’s not because I’m doubting myself and this, this, and that,” she said on her Instagram Story. “I don’t think I wanna put out a single to be honest with you. I just wanna put out my album all at the same time.”
Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Sly Stone, of Sly and the Family Stone, has died at the age of 82, according to a statement from his family.
The statement says Stone died “after a prolonged battle with COPD and other underlying health issues.”
“While we mourn his absence, we take solace in knowing that his extraordinary musical legacy will continue to resonate and inspire for generations to come,” the statement continues. “Sly was a monumental figure, a groundbreaking innovator, and a true pioneer who redefined the landscape of pop, funk, and rock music. His iconic songs have left an indelible mark on the world, and his influence remains undeniable.”
Born Sylvester Stewart in Denton, Texas, Stone was the driving creative force behind the Family Stone, the first major American rock band to be racially integrated. They rose to fame in the mid-’60s/early ’70s thanks to their highly influential combination of soul, funk, R&B, rock and psychedelia on songs like “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” “Stand,” “I Want To Take You Higher,” “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” “Family Affair” and “Hot Fun in the Summertime.” They were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
Sly and the Family Stone performed at Woodstock and were part of the Summer of Soul concerts in Harlem in 1969, the latter of which were the subject of an Oscar-winning documentary by Amir “Questlove” Thompson. Questlove went on to direct a documentary about Stone, Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), which premiered on Hulu and Disney+ in February.
Stone released his autobiography, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), in 2023. According to his family, a movie based on his life is also in the works.
“In a testament to his enduring creative spirit, Sly recently completed the screenplay for his life story, a project we are eager to share with the world in due course,” they said in their statement.
“We extend our deepest gratitude for the outpouring of love and prayers during this difficult time,” they added. “We wish peace and harmony to all who were touched by Sly’s life and his iconic music.”
Simply Red frontman Mick Hucknall is set to be honored with the Golden Note Award, handed out by the performers’ rights organization American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
The award will celebrate Simply Red’s 40th anniversary.
“Mick Hucknall has made an indelible mark on a generation with his impassioned vocals and classic songwriting,” ASCAP Chairman of the Board and President Paul Williams shares. “His singular mix of soul, funk and pop sounds made him a master of blue-eyed soul. We are thrilled to present him with the ASCAP Golden Note Award.”
Hucknall will be honored during a ceremony to be held June 17 in London.
Simply Red is best known in the U.S. for their 1985 hit “Holding Back the Years,” which went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. They’ve gone on to sell 60 million albums worldwide.
Hucknall is hitting the road this fall to celebrate 40 years of Simply Red. The tour, which includes stops in the U.K. and Europe, kicks off Sept. 20 in Belfast. A complete list of dates can be found at SimplyRed.com.
Ashley McBryde‘s Sunday night set at Nissan Stadium included a longtime favorite she’s finally recorded.
“‘Rattlesnake Preacher’ has been a staple in our live show since the bar days, and we’ve constantly been asked by fans when it’ll make it onto a record,” she says. “As we were gearing up for my second year of co-hosting CMA Fest, it felt like the perfect time to finally get this one out there.”
“It’s my way of saying thank you to the fans who have shown up, listened and gave this song life long before it was ever recorded,” she adds.
Recorded with her band Deadhorse, “Rattlesnake Preacher” was written by Ashley’s late friend Randall Clay and produced by Brothers Osborne‘s John Osborne.
It’ll be available to stream or download June 26, the same day the annual CMA Fest special airs on ABC.
