Teyana Taylor on the cover of Time’s 2026 Women of the Year issue. Time’s annual list honors 16 women “working toward a better, more equitable world” across fields like culture, science, sports and advocacy. Time magazine has named 16 women to its 2026 Women of the Year list, and Teyana Taylor is its cover star. As Time notes, Taylor’s “revelatory performance” in One Battle After Another has won over Hollywood, but the choice also reflects her broader impact. This year’s honorees include leaders from Amy Sherald to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, and Taylor’s inclusion highlights how her journey – from Harlem teen choreographer to award-winning artist – inspires many. In her own words, “I love when it’s hard, that means it’s of purpose”, a motto that has carried her through two decades of hard work and diverse achievements.
Taylor has been at the pinnacle of her career in 2025-26. She earned her first Oscar nomination (Best Supporting Actress for One Battle After Another) and won a Golden Globe, after taking home a Grammy nomination for her album Escape Room. These honors underscore a meteoric rise: as Time reports, “cut to 2026: she was nominated for a Grammy…, won a Golden Globe, and is now the front runner for Best Supporting Actress at the Oscars”. In short, Taylor has proven herself among Hollywood’s elite. Her acclaim fits the Women of the Year theme: she is not just celebrated for fame, but for how she uses her platform.
Grammy (2026) – nominated for Best R&B Album (Escape Room).
Golden Globe (2025) – winner (in an acting category).
Oscar (2026) – nominated for Best Supporting Actress, her first Academy Award nod.
Despite the glitz, Taylor remains grounded. When asked about awards pressure she quips that even if “I go home empty-handed, I have won,” celebrating the journey and camaraderie. She’s an awards-season “bestie” with fellow nominee Jacob Elordi, staying lighthearted amidst the usual red-carpet rivalry.
Taylor has always defied categorization. She identifies simply as a “creative”; “not just an actor, director, musician, dancer, or choreographer, but all of the above”. Her early career proves it: at 15 she choreographed Beyoncé’s “Ring the Alarm” video, signed with Pharrell Williams, and even earned vocal features on Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. No opportunity was wasted, as Time recounts, she seized every chance, whether teaching Beyoncé the “chicken noodle soup” dance or humming loudly for Kanye’s attention.
Taylor deliberately refuses to pick “one lane.” In 2020 she stepped away from music, and when people told her that was “dumb,” she insisted “no, I am going to be a great actress. One day, I am going to be a great director”. Sure enough, she booked roles in Coming 2 America, A Thousand and One, and White Men Can’t Jump, culminating in her breakout role in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film. She even quips that she’s a “Glade PlugIn”, you can stick her anywhere and she’ll get to work. In her final pitch, Taylor advises others to let creatives be ambitious: “When you have a creative that does it all, let them spread their wings… Never cage a creative”.
Taylor’s story resonates because she embodies perseverance and purpose. She has endured public challenges, a high-profile divorce, the demands of motherhood, and the industry’s doubts yet she channels all of it into her art. Her portrayal of a revolutionary woman grappling with postpartum depression in One Battle After Another reflects her own experiences and the pressures on many mothers. As she observes, women are often “forced to be supermoms, superwives, superwomen” with no grace if they step back. That honesty adds depth to her roles and her voice as a leader.
Above all, Taylor preaches hard work with heart. She mused to Time: “I love when it’s hard, that means it’s of purpose.” After 20 years of aiming, she likens her success to pulling back an arrow for two decades and finally knocking down all the bottles at once. In an era that often pressures women to fit narrow molds, Taylor’s example is inspirational: she insists on doing it all and encourages others to do the same. Her closing words encapsulate this spirit: “Never cage a creative.”
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TEAM
Teyana Taylor photographs by Xavier Scott Marshall for TIME; Photo Production: Ava Selbach; Set Design by Annika Fischer; Hair by Edith Donaldson; Makeup by Yeika Oliva; Fashion Direction by Teyana Taylor; opener: Wardrobe: Dilara Findikoglu blouse, Loewe skirt, Balenciaga boots; cover: Ottolinger top, Jean Paul Gaultier shorts; on white: Thom Browne coat; Quadriptych: Tareet look; curtain: Ashi Studio dress; Street: Thom Browne look