Juan Gabriel’s 10-year tribute is part of the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards, which go live on Thursday, October 22, at 8 p.m. ET (5 p.m. PT) on Telemundo and Peacock. Telemundo hasn’t said at what point in the show the tribute will air, so if you don’t want to miss El Divo de Juárez, tune in from the start.
The show comes from the James L. Knight Center in Miami, and it lands almost two months after the 10th anniversary of his death on August 28, 2016. For a lot of families, this is the kind of night where everyone gathers around the TV, and somebody’s tía is already crying before the first note.
¿What time does the Juan Gabriel tribute start?
The Juan Gabriel tribute happens during the live Billboard Latin Music Awards broadcast, which starts at 8 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. Central on Thursday, October 22, 2026. As of October 21, 2026, neither Telemundo nor Billboard has announced the exact minute or the order of the performances, so the safest plan is to watch from 8 p.m. ET.
The show features 16 musical performances, according to NBCUniversal, so the tribute could land early, in the middle or near the end.
If you want the full night, the warm-up starts earlier:
- 6 p.m. ET: a pre-show livestream on Telemundo Entretenimiento’s YouTube channel.
- 7 p.m. ET: “La Alfombra,” the red carpet special, on Telemundo, plus Peacock’s own carpet coverage.
- 8 p.m. ET: the awards show, live from Miami.
¿Where can you watch the tribute?
You can watch the Juan Gabriel tribute live on Telemundo or stream it on Peacock, since both carry the full Billboard Latin Music Awards broadcast. The ceremony is also available on Universo and the Telemundo app, and viewers across Latin America and the Caribbean can catch it on Telemundo Internacional, according to NBCUniversal.
That last part matters more than it seems. If your abuela is in Guadalajara, your primos are in Bogotá and you’re in Houston, everyone can be watching the same tribute on the same night and blowing up the family group chat in real time.
¿What time is it back home for the familia?
The Billboard Latin Music Awards start at 8 p.m. ET in Miami, which means 5 p.m. in Los Angeles, 6 p.m. in Mexico City and 7 p.m. in Bogotá or Lima on Thursday, October 22. This is what the clock reads across the U.S. and Latin America when the live show begins:
| Where you (or your family) are | Show starts |
|---|---|
| New York, Miami (Eastern) | 8 p.m. |
| Chicago, Houston, Dallas (Central) | 7 p.m. |
| Denver (Mountain) | 6 p.m. |
| Los Angeles, Las Vegas (Pacific) | 5 p.m. |
| Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Venezuela | 8 p.m. |
| Mexico City, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras | 6 p.m. |
| Colombia, Peru, Ecuador | 7 p.m. |
| Argentina, Chile | 9 p.m. |
One heads-up: NBCUniversal hasn’t published local start times for Telemundo Internacional, so the family back home should double-check their local listing before the night starts.
Mexico City sits one hour ahead of Los Angeles right now, and that gap grows once U.S. clocks fall back on November 1. For this Thursday, though, it’s 5 p.m. in L.A. and 6 p.m. in CDMX.
Who’s singing for Juanga
The tribute brings together voices from different corners of the Spanish-speaking world: Mexican star Carlos Rivera, Colombian singers Jessi Uribe and Paola Jara, Spanish singer Pablo Alborán, and Mexican American family group Yahritza y Su Esencia, a finalist this year, according to NBCUniversal, Telemundo’s parent company.
The setlist is still a secret. As of October 21, 2026, the production hasn’t revealed which songs each artist will sing, so any list you see online right now is speculation.
What we do know is that these awards have history with him. In April 2016, Billboard gave Juan Gabriel its special Star Award in Miami for a career that also fueled hits for other artists, EFE reported at the time. Four months later, he was gone. Billboard also honored him in 2021, five years after his death, with Yuri, Guadalupe Pineda and Ana Bárbara.
Ten years later, the songs are still everywhere: quinceañeras, Mother’s Day serenatas, Sunday cleaning playlists. So set the alarm for 8 p.m. ET, get the familia on the group chat, and tell us which Juanga song you’re hoping to hear.
