BET President Louis Carr On Leading The Culture Forward

At the BET Awards 2026, Jasmine Sanders of the DL Hughley Show sat down with the one and only Louis Carr, President of BET. The conversation moved beyond the celebration to something deeper: where BET has been, where it’s headed, and why this moment matters so much for the culture. What followed was an honest look at change, leadership, and a network determined to stay close to the people it serves.

26 Years and Still Pushing Forward

Few people know BET like Louis Carr. With 26 years at the network, he’s watched it grow from its earliest days into a cultural force.

“I’m aging backwards,” he joked when Sanders noted his long history with the company. But the humor carried real perspective. Carr has seen BET evolve through generations of artists, audiences, and technology, and that long view shapes how he leads today.

Willing to Change

Ask Carr about the biggest shift he’s witnessed, and his answer is refreshingly direct.

“I think the biggest change is that we’re willing to change,” he said. “We’re not saying the way we’ve been doing is the best way.”

He described a media world that grows more complex by the day, one that rewards those willing to adapt. As Sanders put it, you can either become the dinosaur or you can evolve. For Carr, evolution isn’t a threat. It’s the whole point.

Meeting Audiences Where They Live

One of the clearest signs of that evolution is where fans now find the network’s arrival coverage. Instead of staying on linear television, that programming has moved to YouTube.

“It’s on YouTube,” Carr confirmed, pointing to a digital-first approach that meets viewers where they already spend their time. The decision reflects a simple truth about modern audiences: the new era lives online, and BET intends to live there too.

Leading With Intentionality

Carr is clear about what guides his decisions. Within his first 30 days on the job, he set the priorities that still drive him.

“We have to serve our community. We have to continue to drive our culture,” he said. “And we’ve got to be more connected than ever to our consumers, to our partners, to our community than ever before.”

That word—intentionality—anchors his leadership. Every choice, from programming to partnerships, ties back to serving the people who built BET into what it is.

A Motto With Meaning

At the heart of Carr’s vision sits a phrase that doubles as a promise.

“Our motto is BET is something you can believe in,” he shared. “Because I think our community needs something they can believe in.”

He spoke plainly about the moment we’re in—a divided country, real economic pressure, and a community looking for something steady to hold onto. “Black people need something to believe in, and we hope that we’re one of those things.”

That same spirit extends to storytelling. Carr understands the value of telling our stories from our own perspective, in both news and entertainment, because the Black community contributes so much and deserves to see that reflected back.

Bringing BET Weekend Into the Neighborhood

Perhaps the boldest move this year is physical. BET Weekend, traditionally held at the LACC convention center, has relocated to the Beehive, placing the experience directly inside the community.

“We moved it right to the community,” Carr explained. “The community can walk up the house, they can walk down the block, they can go around the corner and participate in the BET experience.”

For the first time ever, the celebration is happening right in the neighborhood, all day. Carr framed it as a responsibility as much as an opportunity. “Our community wants us to understand them better than everybody else and serve them more intimately than everybody else.”

A Beacon for Those Who Feel Unseen

The conversation turned personal as Sanders reflected on the many people who feel hopeless, unheard, and unappreciated. For her, BET has always answered that feeling.

“It has always been a beacon,” she said. “It has always been the lighthouse on the hill that we knew you had our back.”

Carr embraced the responsibility that comes with that role. In a time when so many want to be seen and heard, BET continues to stand as a place built around Black excellence—a space where talented, gifted people work together and lift the community as they rise.

If Not Us, Then Who?

As the conversation closed, Carr summed up the mission in a single line that lingered long after the cameras moved on.

“If not us, then who?”

It’s a question and a calling at once. For Louis Carr and the network he leads, the answer is already clear—and the work of building something the community can believe in continues.

See interview here: