Hip-Hop Legends, Olympic Stars and Will Ferrell: Meet the 2026 ESPYS Lineup

The ESPYS are back and bold, arriving live July 15 with a lineup that reads like a party planner’s fever dream: hip-hop legends, Olympic icons, TV comedians and a baseball team known more for theatricality than box scores. If you like your sports awards with cameos and classic beats, Lincoln Center is the place to be.

Marcello Hernández will host the show from the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, with the telecast airing at 8: 00 p. m. ET / 7: 00 p. m. CT on ABC and streaming live on the ESPN App. If you miss it, the ceremony will be available the next day on Disney Plus, Hulu, the ESPN App and ABC Video on Demand, which is handy for rewatching the performances.

Speaking of performances, the musical roster leans heavily into hip-hop history. De La Soul, Ghostface Killah and Slick Rick are scheduled to perform, which promises old-school flows and serious nostalgia. Also on the bill for a very different kind of musical interlude are the Savannah Bananas, who bring a vaudeville-meets-baseball energy that is uniquely theirs.

Presenters run the gamut from elite athletes to comedy stars. Simone Biles, Allyson Felix and Eileen Gu will be on stage alongside Tiffany Haddish, Kevin Hart, DJ Khaled and Tracy Morgan. Expect surprise moments too, with a special appearance by Will Ferrell rounding out the presenters list.

A long list of athletes and celebrities are expected in the audience, including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Jayson Tatum, Bam Adebayo, Ciara, Terence Crawford, Charlotte Flair, Damar Hamlin, Dwight Howard and more. The mix of sports icons and entertainers ensures the red carpet will be packed with photo ops and headline-friendly pairings.

Awards and honors are also part of the night. Jason Collins is set to receive the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage posthumously, Jim Abbott will be honored with the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance and Scott Ruskan is slated for the Pat Tillman Award for Service. The ceremony will also recognize recipients of the Sports Humanitarian Awards, including honorees of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award and the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award.

ESPN’s pre-show coverage begins at 6: 00 p. m. ET with SportsCenter hosted by Kevin Negandhi and Christine Williamson. The ESPYS Preview Show airs at 7: 00 p. m. ET on ESPN, and the Red Carpet Show, hosted by Samantha Rivera, Harry Lyles Jr. , Monica McNutt and Kimberley Martin, streams at 7: 00 p. m. ET on ESPN’s YouTube, Facebook and the ESPN App, with Good Morning America correspondent Will Reeve reporting from the carpet. Expect fashion, banter and the occasional athlete trying to remember who they promised a selfie to.

Whether you tune in for the awards, the performances, or the undeniable thrill of seeing a handful of the world’s most famous people try to act casual in the same room, the 2026 ESPYS look set to deliver. Consider this your official invitation to watch the spectacle unfold.