Stevie Wonder Surprises Jamie Foxx at BET Awards with Icon Tribute
Stevie Wonder surprised Jamie Foxx with a heartfelt tribute as stars celebrated his legacy at the 2025 BET Awards.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JUNE 09: (L-R) 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. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
Talk about a show-stopper! Stevie Wonder brought the house down at the 2025 BET Awards with a surprise that had jaws dropping and hearts melting.
On Monday night (June 9), the BET Awards were all about one man: Jamie Foxx. He was being honored with the Ultimate Icon Award, and all night long, fans were teased with hints that a “special guest” would show up to present the award. That surprise guest? None other than the legendary Stevie Wonder!
But Stevie wasn’t the only one showing love to Foxx. Music royalty rolled out in full force. Babyface and Ludacris got the crowd going with a smooth cover of Foxx’s 2005 hit “Unpredictable.” Then Tank took it back old-school with a powerful version of “Night Time is the Right Time,” a Ray Charles classic that Foxx once sang onscreen in Ray—a role that won him an Oscar!
Jennifer Hudson followed up with a soulful spin on “Gold Digger,” the chart-topping collab Foxx did with Ye (formerly Kanye West). And to top it all off, T-Pain and Doug E. Fresh lit up the stage with a high-energy take on the 2009 party anthem “Blame It.”
Through it all, Jamie was clearly loving every minute—laughing, nodding to the beat, and soaking up the love.
When Stevie finally took the mic, he had everyone smiling with his heartfelt (and hilarious) words.
“Jamie, look at me!” Stevie joked, before turning sincere. “I remember seeing you the first time at a club, playing piano and singing, but I knew from the moment I heard you sing that you had so much more. I admire and celebrate your talent and your love — for blind people. I’m very happy to be here tonight to see you honored as you so very well deserve.”
Then came Jamie’s turn. In his emotional speech, he thanked his friends and family for standing by him through his scary health crisis in 2023. One moment that hit especially hard? Watching the night’s “In Memoriam” tribute.
“You can’t go through something like that and not testify,” Foxx said, bringing the audience to its feet. “A career that I could only thank God for.”
