Nia Long and Jaafar Jackson bring Michael to BET Awards 2026
Nia Long and Jaafar Jackson reunited on the 2026 BET Awards red carpet on June 28 to spotlight the Michael Jackson biopic Michael. Long, who played Katherine Jackson, and Jackson, who portrayed his late uncle, posed together at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles as the ceremony celebrated Black excellence across music, film, and television.
Key Takeaways
- Michael co-stars Jaafar Jackson and Nia Long posed for photos at the June 28, 2026 BET Awards in Los Angeles.
- Jaafar, 29, stars as Michael Jackson; Nia Long, 55, plays his mother Katherine Jackson in the biographical movie.
- Comedian Druski hosted the show, which aired live at 8 p.m. ET on BET and multiple simulcast channels.
- On the carpet, Jaafar wore navy and Long wore a silk brown dress.
- Separately, Long told Entertainment Weekly she once unknowingly brushed off Prince at a party before she was famous.
What happened when Jaafar Jackson and Nia Long arrived at the BET Awards 2026?
Jaafar Jackson and Nia Long hit the red carpet together at the 2026 BET Awards on Sunday, June 28, held at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The Michael co-stars posed for photos as they arrived for the ceremony.
According to Just Jared, the outlet published a 15-photo gallery from their joint carpet appearance.
Who do Jaafar Jackson and Nia Long play in Michael?
Jaafar Jackson starred as his late uncle Michael Jackson in the biographical movie Michael. Nia Long played Katherine Jackson, the mother of the "Thriller" entertainer.
On the carpet, Jaafar, 29, wore a navy outfit while Long, 55, donned a silk brown dress. Their on-screen roles as son and mother framed the joint red-carpet moment. For more culture and entertainment coverage, browse our Future Tech & AI Wonders section.
Where can you watch the 2026 BET Awards?
The 2026 BET Awards aired live on BET beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The show also simulcast on BET HER, CMT, LOGO, MTV, MTV2, Nickelodeon (NAN), Paramount, POP, VH1, Comedy Central, and TV Land.
Hosted by comedian Druski for the first time, the ceremony was billed as a celebration of "multifaceted creative expression and Black excellence across music, television, film, and sports."
Why is Nia Long's Prince story trending alongside the BET carpet?
As Long appeared at the BET Awards, Entertainment Weekly published her explanation of why she once inadvertently shut down an encounter with Prince. On the Angie Martinez IRL podcast, Long said she still owns the Kenneth Cole black snake-embossed shoes she wore the night Prince tried to talk to her — and that she did not realize it was him.
Long recalled that Prince grabbed her hand and she recoiled. Only after leaving did a friend tell her it was Prince. "If I knew it was Prince, I would have just turned around and said, 'Hello,'" she said.
Years later, after she became a famous actress, they met again. Long said Prince was lovely, but they talked about her haircut the whole time. Martinez asked whether he was still "shooting a shot"; Long replied, "He was not."