GloRilla stirred unexpected controversy this week after taking home the Dr. Bobby Jones Best Gospel/Inspirational Award at the 2025 BET Awards held on Monday, June 9.
The win surprised many, as the rap star beat out established gospel heavyweights like Maverick City Music, Tamela Mann, and Yolanda Adams. While the accolade marked a major milestone, especially after she lost in all her other nominated categories, it didn’t sit well with some viewers.
Leading the criticism was gospel singer-songwriter Deitrick Haddon, who called GloRilla’s win “discouraging and disappointing,” arguing that BET was straying too far from traditional gospel roots by honoring what he viewed as “outsiders” in the genre.
After facing backlash for what fans perceived as veiled shots at both GloRilla and Kirk Franklin — who features on the winning track — Haddon took to social media again to clarify his stance and respond to critics.
“I said what I said, and I stand on it. No backpedaling. No apologies. Just truth,” he said in the caption of the Instagram video seen above posted Friday (June 13). “My heart was never to tear anyone down, but to speak UP for the gospel artists who’ve labored, sacrificed, and carried this sacred genre through every storm. When we start handing gospel awards to artists outside the genre, without honoring those in it, we lose something sacred.”
To underscore the caption, he spoke about Glo directly in the accompanying clip.
“What I’m saying is not about GloRilla; GloRilla didn’t choose herself. Somebody made the decision to give her the Gospel award,” he relayed before saying some people have called him “jealous” and a “hater” for his commentary on the matter. “GloRilla has the right to give God praise and continue to do more Gospel collaborations. Nobody is trying to take anything from her. We just want to make sure our [Gospel artists] are being respected.”
And while Glo hasn’t issued an official statement on the topic, she did take to the comments of our friends at TSR to show love to Haddon before his reaction to the backlash.
“I love Deitrick Haddon…[he’s one of my] top 5 Gospel artists,” she commented.