Teyana Taylor Stalled By Tech Fail At Billboard Women In Music Awards, Powers Through Awkward Delay

Teyana Taylor Stalled By Tech Fail At Billboard Women In Music Awards, Powers Through Awkward Delay

The show must go on.

During the 2026 Billboard Women in Music Awards, held Wednesday (Apr. 29), #TeyanaTaylor was honored with the Visionary Award by #DionneWarwick, but the celebration hit a snag. Footage from the awkward moment showed Teyana onstage alongside Dionne and her son as they waited for her acceptance speech to appear on the teleprompter. Trying to keep things light, Teyana asked a few times, “Can I get the teleprompter?” as she tried to laugh it off with the crowd. When she was told to ad-lib, she replied, “My speech is cute, they go pull up my speech.”

Instead, the teleprompter displayed, “Teyana Taylor, we have no script for you. Everyone exit stage right,” which she read aloud, prompting a loud gasp from the audience. After the stage was cleared, the ceremony moved forward. Thankfully, before the night wrapped, Dionne returned to the stage and invited Teyana back for a redo. This time, her speech appeared on the teleprompter without any issues. Later that night, #Billboard released a statement praising Teyana for her “professionalism and patience.”