LOS ANGELES – October 29, 2026 -- EBONY has named six honorees to its 2026 Power 100 Court, who will be celebrated on stage at the EBONY Power 100 Gala on Monday, Nov. 9, at the Hollywood Palladium. Kirk Franklin will open the show, and T.I. will close it with live performances.
Six honorees span space, finance, media, music and sports
This year's Court includes:
- Grammy-winning singer and actress Brandy
- Byron Allen, founder of Allen Media Group
- Flau'jae Johnson of the WNBA's Seattle Storm
- Keith Lee, digital influencer and culinary tastemaker
- Lena Waithe, Emmy Award-winning writer, producer and actor
- Victor Glover, NASA Astronaut Emeritus
The Court represents the honorees whose work most fully embodies this year's theme, "The Stories We Shape." Each member will receive a dedicated tribute and accept the honor in person on the Palladium stage.
EBONY CEO Eden Bridgeman said the Court is the magazine's more-than-80-year record of people moving Black America forward at its most vivid.
Kirk Franklin opens and T.I. closes the ceremony
Kirk Franklin, a 20-time Grammy winner, will open the show. T.I., a Grammy-winning rapper, entrepreneur and member of this year's Music Innovators class, will close out the ceremony.
Every member of the 2026 Power 100 will be recognized during the ceremony. Honorees will also be photographed in the gala's portrait studio, adding this year's class to EBONY's eight-decade visual record of Black leadership.
The gala runs from a 5:00 p.m. red carpet to a 10:30 p.m. reception
The private, invitation-only event is produced in partnership with Jesse Collins Entertainment. It begins with a 5:00 p.m. red carpet and cocktail hour, followed by the 7:30 p.m. awards ceremony and a 10:30 p.m. post-reception. The evening unfolds inside "La Cour," an immersive creative world that reimagines the grand royal courts of history with Black excellence at their center.
The 2026 Power 100 recognizes leaders across 11 categories, including the Junior Bridgeman Business Vanguards, named in honor of Eden Bridgeman's late father, STEM Trailblazers, Media Mavens and Generation Next.
BMW, Walmart and United Airlines sponsor categories
Category sponsors include BMW for Community Crusaders, Mielle Organics for the Court, United Airlines for STEM Trailblazers and Walmart for Influential Creators. Sela K. and Tiffany & Co. are also listed as sponsors.
The complete list of 2026 honorees is available on EBONY's website.