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Somewhere up above, Don Cornelius is celebrating the return of love, peace and soul: BET is bringing back the “Soul Train Awards,” three years after the kudocast was put on pause. The revived “Soul Train Awards” will
air Friday, Nov. 27 at 8 p.m. on both BET and CBS — the first time the Eye network has run the special.
The 2026 “Soul Train Awards” will also air on Paramount Skydance cablers VH1, MTV2, Logo and BET Her. Jesse Collins Entertainment is back to produce the revived event.
The awards show won’t be live, but it will be taped in Chicago — where Cornelius first launched the iconic music and dance series “Soul Train” in 1971 (first on indie station WCIU, then in national syndication).
“As a Chicago native, I’m proud to bring the ‘Soul Train Awards’ back to the city where it all originated,” said BET president Louis Carr in a statement. “Coming off a landmark year for BET, this return reaffirms what we do best: bringing our community together around the culture, and connecting the artists who built this sound to the ones carrying it forward.”
The “Soul Train Awards” aired its last edition in 2023, hosted by Keke Palmer. In 2025, BET’s then-CEO Scott Mills (who departed at the end of last year) told Billboard that the company had “suspended” both the “Soul Train Awards” and “BET Hip-Hop Awards”: “I would say that 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,” he said in an interview with the publication.
In bringing the show back, BET’s Connie Orlando, exec VP of specials, music programming and music strategy, said the “Soul Train Awards” will be “reimagined” with a “bold new format.”
“The ‘Soul Train Awards’ has always been the home for R&B and soul,” she said. “It’s about honoring the artists who shaped the genre while reinventing the night for where the music is headed.”
In a press release, BET described this year’s telecast as blending “honorees who defined the sound with the artists carrying it forward, celebrating a legacy that has influenced American music since ‘Soul Train’ first went on the air in 1971. Performances, honorees, and host details will be announced in the coming weeks.”
Orlando is exec producer of “Soul Train Awards” 2026 for BET, while Jesse Collins Entertainment’s Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay are also EPs.
Spotify is on board as exclusive music streaming partner, while Toyota is a key sponsor. Spotify global head of music content and partnerships Joe Hadley called the return of the “Soul Train Awards” a “significant moment for R&B and soul,” while Toyota marketing communications VP Dedra DeLilli added, “we’re proud to help bring this iconic platform back in a way that honors its legacy and the significance it continues to hold today.”
