Regina Hall should’ve hosted the BET Awards a long time ago.
The actress kicked off the 2019 award show by showing serious love for her hometown of Washington, D.C., with a performance inspired by Beyoncé’s Netflix film, “Homecoming.”
The 202 native honored her hometown with “Homegrown,” a parody of Bey’s film. In a clip aired at the top of the live show, Hall jokingly orders around a band and dancers, tests them on their knowledge of the Chocolate City and flashes inspirational quotes from notable D.C. figures, including Mayor for Life Marion Barry and Blac Chyna.
“When BET asked me to host this year’s BET Awards, I immediately thought ‘no,’” Hall jokes in the clip. “Then I thought about it. Why not? It would be a chance for me to teach people, especially the younger generations, about Washington, D.C. The Washington, D.C., I grew up in.” She even includes “sardines and pork and beans” (a nod to the Junkyard Band’s hit song) in her pre-show prayer at the end of the clip.
At the top of her performance, Hall emerged on stage in Beyoncé-like fashion, strutting as a band played a rendition of Rare Essence’s “Do You Know What Time It Is” before going into E.U.’s “Da Butt.” Two go-go icons, James Funk from Rare Essence and Suga Bear from E.U., joined her on stage to perform. Fellow Washingtonian Taraji P. Henson even joined her longtime friend to honor their hometown.
The performance was capped off by with words “Go-Go Madness #DontMuteDC” appearing on the screen behind the stage, a clear message in support of the protests against the rapid gentrification in the city and efforts to mute a huge aspect of D.C.’s culture.
The hilarious host continued to put on for her hometown throughout the night ― giving a shoutout to the fellow moes in the house, highlighting how rapidly the city is gentrifying and even joking that Billy Ray Cyrus went to Howard University.
And, of course, Twitter went wild:
Watch her skit and performance above.