Keke Palmer may have been joking, but she had a point.
The actress, singer, and podcaster grabbed the microphone from Druski during Sunday’s BET Awards and went viral after telling him, “This should have been my gig. Why the hell would they have you host?”
The I Love Boosters star was just getting warmed up and added, “This is the problem with BET, they be tripping because this should’ve been me.”
The audience inside the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles erupted in cheers. The exchange was likely scripted, but Palmer’s joke tapped into a question some viewers were already asking on social media.
Related: Lauryn Hill Fights Back Tears During Powerful BET Awards Tribute
After watching Druski mock the Black church in his opening sketch, wearing white face in a bit about white rappers using the N-word, and ribbing Ray J for claiming he only had months to live — okay, the Ray J joke was funny — I found myself wondering: How did we get here?
There’s no disputing Druski is one of the biggest stars in online comedy with his viral skits.
But something felt off Sunday night after Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Amanda Seales, Regina Hall, Jamie Foxx and other established Hollywood stars hosted recent BET Awards.
Fortunately, this evening’s musical performances reminded everyone why the show still matters. R&B songstress Kehlani performed “Folded” with Jamie Foxx and his daughter Anelise.
Nigerian artist Tems belted out a beautiful version of her 2025 single “What You Need.”
Another memorable moment came during the “In Memoriam” segment, when Erica Campbell and Le’Andria Johnson performed a tribute to late gospel artist Richard Smallwood by singing “I Love the Lord,” which Smallwood wrote for Whitney Houston.
The night’s biggest highlight was the tribute to Lauryn Hill, who received BET’s Living Legend Icon Award.
The tribute featured an 18-minute medley of Hill’s hit music performed by Alexia Jayy, Common, Doechii and SZA, Doja Cat, Lizzo, Queen Latifah, Rapsody, selah, Tierra Whack, The War and Treaty, Zion Marley and YG Marley, and Nas who wowed the audience by performing “If I Ruled the World (Imagine That)” — his 1996 hit with Hill.
“I always cared about the expression and the representation of the dignity of our people… I fight for y’all,” Hill said in her acceptance speech. “We may not always agree all the time, but I’m rooting for you and I’m grateful that you root for me too.”
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