Release

SAMUEL L. JACKSON TO RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD AT THE “BET AWARDS” 2016

JESSE WILLIAMS TO BE RECOGNIZED WITH HUMANITARIAN AWARD FOR CIVIL RIGHTS EFFORTS

HOSTED BY ANTHONY ANDERSON AND TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, THE 2016 “BET AWARDS” WILL AIR LIVE ON SUNDAY, JUNE 26, 2016 ON BET FROM MICROSOFT THEATER IN LOS ANGELES, CA

#BETAWARDS / #BETX

New York, NY (June 20, 2016) – Today, BET Networks revealed that world-renowned actor and film producer Samuel L. Jackson will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 16th annual “BET Awards” on Sunday, June 26, 2016. In addition, well-respected actor and activist Jesse Williams will receive the evening’s Humanitarian Award.

Samuel L. Jackson is a critically acclaimed and award-winning actor recognized for his roles in hit films such as Pulp Fiction, Star Wars, Django Unchained, and his most recent roles as Nick Fury in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and Major Marquis Warren in “The Hateful Eight.” To date, the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominee has appeared in well over 100 films and will next be seen in The Legend of Tarzan and Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children.

Jesse Williams is an actor and activist best known for his role as Dr. Jackson Avery on the popular series “Grey’s Anatomy.” Williams uses his celebrity platform to shine a light on the injustices of our society and became an outspoken advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement. During Ferguson, he stood with thousands of protestors to make sure that unarmed teen Mike Brown’s death was not in vain and used every outlet at his disposal to make sure that the message behind the Black Lives Matter movement was heard. Writing articles for CNN and The Huffington Post expressing his frustration with the system, Jesse has proven to be a true pioneer of our generation and is a refreshing new face of activism during a time of crisis in this country.

Hosted by Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross, the “BET Awards” will include performances by Usher, Bryson Tiller, Desiigner, Future, Alicia Keys and Maxwell with special performances in honor of the late pop icon Prince by Sheila E., Janelle Monae, D’Angelo, The Roots and more. The star power continues as Gabrielle Union, Nate Parker, DJ Khaled and many others will take the stage as presenters during the 16th anniversary of the annual highly-anticipated televised event.

A full list of the 2016 “BET Awards” nominees is now available here.

The “BET Awards” 2016 will premiere around the world on BET’s international network. It will air in the UK on Tuesday, June 28th at 9:00pm BST, in Africa on Tuesday, June 28th at 7:00pm CAT, and in France on Wednesday, June 29th at 9:00pm CEST.

Jesse Collins, CEO of Jesse Collins Entertainment serves as Executive Producer. Stephen G. Hill, BET’s President of Programming; Connie Orlando, BET’s Senior Vice President of Music; and Specials and Lynne Harris Taylor, BET’s Vice President of Specials serve as Executive Producers for BET Networks.

The “BET Awards” will take place along with the BET Experience at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles from June 23-26, 2016. BET.com is the official site for the “BET Awards” and will have all the latest news and updates about this year's show. VIP Packages for the BET Experience weekend are now on-sale. In addition to VIP amenities throughout the weekend and incredible seats for the STAPLES Center shows, three levels of BETX VIP Packages offer guests the only opportunity to purchase tickets to the highly anticipated BET Awards, broadcast live from Microsoft Theater. The 1,000+ VIP Packages sold out in 2015, so guests are encouraged to purchase now before the allotment is depleted. Full package amenities and pricing for the Diamond, Platinum and Gold VIP Packages can be found by visiting BETExperience.com or by calling (877) 234-8425.

To apply for media credentials for the 2016 “BET Awards” please head to https://betawards2016.iworldreg.com/public/apply/media

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