The music mogul served as both host and executive producer of the 2022 Billboard Music Awards Sunday night.
Sean “Diddy” Combs opened up the 2022 Billboard Music Awards Sunday from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas with a positive, uplifting monologue -- albeit one that still threw a little shade at Will Smith's Oscar slap.
Toward the end of his opening speech, Diddy joked about how the whole show is held in the spirit of freedom and unbridled fun. However, he also had a bit of a warning.
"If you feeling a little froggy tonight, don't feel froggy, but if you are feeling a little bit froggy and you decide to jump on this stage here tonight, I do suggest you have your affairs in order," Diddy said with a slight laugh. "And I say that with love I say that with the ultimate and utmost love."
Jokes aside, the legendary music mogul/producer/rapper did double duty at Sunday night's show, both hosting and executive producing this year's awards show.
He explained that he didn't look at himself as an award show host, but rather the "vibe curator, the frequency elevator, Black Brother Thunder, the Chocolate Boy Wonder. They call me Diddy, but ya'll can call me Love!"
And he used his time on stage to celebrate what the show is really about.
"Tonight is special, though, very, very special, because we all got a second chance at life. That's the message I really came here to bring," he shared. "There's a lot going on in the world and we really got a second chance at life I think that now because the world is open, sometimes we take things for granted, you know and so tonight we're going to celebrate like we got a second chance at life up in here."
"We're going to celebrate a chance to be able to do it better and do it bigger and celebrate each other," he continued. "Because y'all got to know that we are blessed that we are here, we woke up this morning, and that's the greatest miracle that you could ask for."
The Bad Boy boss' hosting duties come exactly 25 years after he took home his first BBMA in 1997 for his multi-platinum album, No Way Out.
Combs also teased a bit of his return to music following news of his historic record deal. The rapper announced earlier this week that he's starting an R&B-focused music label, Love Records, with the backing of the classic label Motown.
Love Records will be "dedicated to R&B music and will release singles and collaborative projects from a collective of world-class artists, producers and songwriters," Combs said in a press statement.
The Billboard Music Awards air Sunday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT on NBC. The show will be streamed live on Peacock.
For more on the big winners at this year's show, check out the full list here!
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