NAACP Image Awards: Angela Bassett, Viola Davis win top honors
What's the story
The 54th NAACP Image Awards took place on Saturday (crack of dawn on Sunday in India), with Queen Latifah hosting the celebrity-studded award ceremony. After handing out trophies in a week-long, non-televised celebration, the live ceremony kicked off by honoring outstanding achievements of people of color in film, television, music, and literature. Here's a list of the biggest winners from the night.
Entertainer of the Year
Angela Bassett won Entertainer of the Year at Image Awards
Angela Bassett—who has earned the honor of being the first Marvel actor to be nominated for an Academy Award and to have won a Golden Globe for a Marvel movie this award season—received the NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year. She won big at the ceremony, earning three awards in total. Meanwhile, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever won the coveted Outstanding Motion Picture.
Best actor award
Will Smith, Viola Davis bagged outstanding actor awards
In the Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture category, Will Smith won the award for Emancipation, marking his first win after the infamous "slapgate" incident at the 2022 Oscars. Meanwhile, Viola Davis won the coveted Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture trophy for The Woman King. This came after she achieved EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscars, Tony) status with her Grammy Award win (Finding Me).
Twitter Post
Check out this Twitter post
Congratulations @violadavis 🎉
— NAACP Image Awards® (@naacpimageaward) February 26, 2023
Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture. #TheWomanKing🏆
54th #NAACPImageAwards#OurStories #OurCulture #OurExcellence pic.twitter.com/Xs98B8XhAk
Best comedy series
Quinta Brunson's 'Abbott Elementary' won big, too
American mockumentary sitcom Abbott Elementary was declared the Outstanding Comedy Series, one of six Image Awards earned by the ABC series. Meanwhile, the creator and actor Quinta Brunson accepted the award for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary. Notably, P-Valley bagged the Outstanding Drama Series award. The other contenders in this category included Bel-Air, Bridgerton, Euphoria, and Queen Sugar.
Honorable mentions
Serena Williams honored with Jackie Robinson Sports Award
Grammy and Emmy-winning actor-producer Latifa opened the show with a tribute to Black women, giving a shout-out to several luminaries in the audience. Among them, 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams was honored with the prestigious Jackie Robinson Sports Award for her tennis achievements and efforts to uplift the community. It recognizes individuals in sports who excel athletically while also pursuing social justice.
Twitter Post
Serena Williams honored with prestigious award
Congratulations @serenawilliams! Jackie Robinson Sports Award recipient. We celebrate your greatness! 🏆 54th #NAACPImageAwards #OurStories #OurCulture #OurExcellence pic.twitter.com/MflfMJ30or
— NAACP Image Awards® (@naacpimageaward) February 26, 2023
Other notable winners
Other notable winners of night
Among other notable winners was US Congressman Bennie G Thompson, who received the Chairman's Award for his work as the chair of a panel investigating the 2021 US Capitol Building attack. The President's Award was given to basketball player Dwyane Wade and actor Gabrielle Union-Wade for their activism and advocacy, especially in support of their daughter Zaya, who came out as trans in 2020.