Jamie Foxx received the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2025 BET Awards in true legend fashion. The 57-year-old shared gratitude for the network and the “Black award” on stage on Monday night from the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles, accepting the prestigious honor from Stevie Wonder.
“I cannot even begin to express the love that I feel from everybody out there,” expressed the comedian to a standing ovation. “I gotta be honest, when I saw the In Memoriam, I was like, 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 continued, “And I promised, ‘whatever reason you put this on me, I promise imma do right and imma do right in front of y’all. I know a lot of times when we get on, we forget about where we come from. When I did my special, it was in front of Black people. Black people was the one who said, ‘I got you.’”
Stevie Wonder presents the Ultimate Icon Award to honoree Jamie Foxx onstage during the 2025 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on June 09, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET
The “Unpredictable” singer continued to elaborate on his love for his Black audience and the BET network.
“I say this all the time, thank you to Black people and the Black award, because this is what really counts. A lot of people think like the Oscars is the biggest thing, and we got to quit thinking like that. And that’s coming from a person who won an Oscar, I was nominated twice, but the Icon Award is the most important award because it comes from us.”
Ahead of the emotional acceptance speech, Foxx’s musical collaborators, peers, and more united to honor him on stage with a medley of his fan-favorite records. Craig Robinson, Teddy Riley, Babyface, Ludacris, Jennifer Hudson, Tank, and others delivered “Unpredictable,” “Gold Digger,” and more.
Watch Jamie Foxx accept the Ultimate Icon Award at the 2025 BET Awards above, and watch his musical tribute below.
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