The Soul Train Awards and the BET Hip Hop Awards are being shelved “indefinitely.”
Scott Mills, CEO of BET, announced the bombshell news in an interview with Billboard published on Tuesday, Aug. 5. The reason the two shows will no longer air on the cable network? Their audiences have dwindled.
“We have suspended the Soul Train and Hip Hop award shows,” Mills said. “It’s less about them being no longer and more about our team having to reimagine them for this changing media landscape that we find ourselves in.”
Mills said his team is looking into other platforms to host the programs, including a streaming outlet, although he did not give specifics on when the awards might return.
Related: BET Awards 2025 Complete Winners List – From Kendrick Lamar to Doechii
Mills noted that BET will continue to air the NAACP Image Awards, the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, and the network’s signature BET Awards.
Although the article pointed out that the audience for the 2025 BET awards dropped almost 50 percent in the advertiser coveted 18-49 demographic from last year’s telecast.
“Viewership was down. However, the cable ecosystem is smaller today than it was a year ago. That’s just the reality of it,” Mills said.
While the ratings drop may seem alarming, he pointed out a couple of factors that came into play during this year’s 25th annual BET Awards.
“Honestly, I attribute the viewership declines less to the declines in the cable ecosystem and more to the fact that we moved the night of the show. It typically has aired at the end of June on a Sunday. This year, we moved the show to the beginning of June and on a Monday,” he explained.
This year’s BET Awards aired live on Monday, June 9, from Los Angeles. But just blocks away from the ceremony at the Peacock theater, there was chaos in downtown L.A.
Protesters filled the streets as they rallied against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of undocumented immigrants in the city.
Law enforcement officers in riot gear, on horseback and even in tanks closed in on the crowds and fired tear gas and less-lethal rounds.
On stage at the awards, Doechii slammed President Trump for calling in National Guard troops to confront protesters.
“Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want y’all to consider what kind of government it appears to be when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us,” the rapper and singer said after winning the award for best female hip hop artist.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom also blasted the Trump administration.
As for the awards, Kendrick Lamar led the winners with five trophies including album of the year for GNX and video of the year for “Not Like Us.”
Jamie Foxx shed tears, and talked about the power of prayer as he accepted BET’s Ultimate Icon Award.
Kevin Hart hosted the ceremony, and there was a 106 & Park reunion celebrating the 25th anniversary of the music video program, which was once must see TV for R&B and hip hop fans.
The reunion featured past 106 & Park hosts along with artists who previously performed on the program, including Ashanti, Bow Wow, Amerie, Jim Jones, Mya, B2K and Keyshia Cole.
Mills told Billboard the BET Awards telecast was “amazing.” He praised Connie Orlando, BET’s executive vice president of specials, music programming and music strategy, and her team for pulling everything together.
“My seat mate at this year’s show was Stephen Hill, the young man who, 25 years ago, created the BET Awards. At the end of it, he turned to me and said, ‘This is one of the best BET Awards I’ve ever seen,'” he shared.
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