Ex-BET CEO Debra Lee Set To Receive Icon Award At Black Women In Entertainment Ceremony

Former chairman and chief executive officer of BET Networks and founder of the Leading Women Defined Foundation, Debra Lee, will be honoured for over three decades of augmenting Black culture at the opening of Black Women In Entertainment (BWIE) Honours to be held in Los Angeles.

Lee will receive the inaugural Icon Award at the maiden ceremony of BWIE in celebration of Women’s History Month and Black Girl Magic, on Thursday, March 19, 2026, at The Gathering Spot in Los Angeles.

This Award event recognises the magnitude of Black women’s contributions to entertainment, media, and culture.

Lee has spent over 30 years at BET, a period that helped revolutionise
The network from a cable channel into one of the most influential media outlets in the world.

She served as chairman and CEO from 2005 to 2018, managing a period of considerable growth and cultural effect.

With her at the helm, the network strengthened its premier properties, including the BET Awards, which became one of the most-watched award shows in the country and a steady barometer of what was resonating in Black culture at any given time.

Aside from her administrative role, Lee was a reliable presence behind decisions about which stories were told, which artists were given platforms, and how Black audiences were depicted in corporate media, all in a time when that representation was still being fought for at every level of the sector.