“Sinners” and “One Battle After Another” are the two dominant films of the 2025-26 awards season. Both show up in the 2026 BET Best Actor race, and together they give this category more weight than it's had in years. 

On one hand, we have the Oscar winner, Michael B. Jordan, who took home the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of twins Smoke and Stack in Ryan Coogler's horror triumph “Sinners.” He even received a standing ovation on Oscar night. 

His victory made him the sixth Black man to win the lead actor Oscar in the award's history. In his speech, he named Sidney Poitier, Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker, and Will Smith — the only Black performers to win Best Actor or Actress before him. He performed two separate characters simultaneously, with two distinct personalities, and he made you believe both. He's the front-runner here. 

And then we have our legendary record-holder, Washington, the blueprint. Washington has won this award at the 2025 BET Awards and even holds the all-time record for most BET Best Actor wins and nominations. That 2025 win came for his performance in “Highest 2 Lowest,” a modern noir directed by Spike Lee. A sixth win would extend a record he already owns.

But what about Colman Domingo? This man has been nominated for two Oscars in back-to-back years, one for “Rustin” in 2024 and “Sing Sing” in 2025. And now in 2026, the working actor is still at it! He’s in “Euphoria,” the “Michael” biopic, where he plays Joe Jackson, and he’s got a role in Steven Spielberg's “Disclosure Day.” He may be the most prolific serious actor working right now. His nomination here is long overdue. 

The big and small screens adore Sterling K. Brown. He and fellow debonair actor Aldis Hodge both earned Gotham Award nominations for Outstanding Lead Performance in a Drama Series this past year. Hodge stars in “Cross,” which drew 40 million viewers globally in its first 20 days on Prime Video and ranked as the third most-watched premiere on the service in 2025. And Brown in “Paradise” is nothing short of smart, twisty, and anchored by outstanding performances. BET has rewarded TV actors in this category before, so both men have a chance.

Then there’s Aaron Pierre, aka that’s Mufasaaa! Pierre stepped into the role of John Stewart for HBO's “Lanterns,” a series that generated significant internet buzz from the moment its teaser dropped. He had already voiced Mufasa in Disney's “Mufasa: The Lion King” and portrayed Malcolm X in “Genius: MLK/X” before landing one of the most anticipated roles in the DCU. The show doesn't premiere until August, which makes this nomination a recognition of momentum more than a completed body of work. That alone is a statement.  

And not to be left out of the conversation, Damson Idris, who starred opposite Brad Pitt in “F1: The Movie,” which crossed $630 million at the global box office — a massive commercial moment, though a supporting role in someone else's vehicle. 

The bottom line is that Jordan has the Oscar, Washington has the record, but Domingo has the résumé of the last two years. One of these three men wins on June 28, and it will say something real about what this award is actually for.

Watch the BET Awards live June 28 at 8/7c on BET.