The Soul Train Awards are coming back. BET has announced the return of the iconic awards show, three years after it was put on pause, with the revived telecast set to air Friday, November 27 at 8 p.m. on BET and, for the first time ever, simultaneously on CBS. The show will also air on VH1, MTV2, Logo and BET Her.
The awards show will be taped in Chicago, the city where Don Cornelius first launched Soul Train in 1971 on indie station WCIU before it went into national syndication and ran for 35 years as the longest-running first-run nationally syndicated program in television history.
“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. “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.”
BET executive VP of specials, music programming and music strategy Connie Orlando described the revived show as reimagined with a bold new format, blending honorees who defined the sound with the artists carrying it forward. Performances, honorees and host details will be announced in the coming weeks. The last edition of the Soul Train Awards aired in 2023, hosted by Keke Palmer.
Spotify is on board as exclusive music streaming partner and Toyota as a key sponsor. Jesse Collins Entertainment returns to produce, with Orlando, Jesse Collins, Dionne Harmon and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay serving as executive producers.
The Soul Train Awards air November 27 on BET and CBS.