The 55th NAACP Image Awards was sharp and sexy in its live broadcast from the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California. Queen Latifah’s opening bit featured Vice President Kamala Harris, who asked the Queen to remind all Americans to register and vote.
After Queen Latifah announced that just one drop of Usher’s sweat “will keep your hairline strong,” Sterling K. Brown and his wife, Ryan Michelle Bathe, presented the award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture to Taraji P. Henson for her role as Shug Avery in The Color Purple. She encouraged people to speak up for their rights.
Quinta Brunson won for Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series for Abbott Elementary. She joked that the mic didn’t go down further (Brunson stands 4′ 11″).
New Kids on the Block’s Donnie Wahlberg introduced New Edition and made it clear without them, there would be no NKOTB, NSYNC, Justin Timberlake, One Direction or Harry Styles. The group was inducted into the NAACP Hall of Fame and thanked their parents for giving them the passion that turned into purpose.
Damson Idris, the Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series winner for his work on Snowfall, shared that his mom had flown for 17 hours from Lagos, Nigeria, to attend the awards ceremony. He then joked that she said if she came all the way from Nigeria, “You better win.”
Presenter Deon Cole shouted out all the “vintage women” in the audience, much to fellow presenter Leslie Jones’ chagrin. “You don’t do full days and full nights, so this is special.” India Ria Amarteifio won Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series for her work in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
American Fiction star Erika Alexander joined the stage with her Livin’ Single co-star Queen Latifah to announce the Image Award host’s birthday (March 18). Abbott Elementary star Sheryl Lee Ralph led the audience in singing Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday,” with a special refrain from Keke Palmer.
Usher, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his multi-platinum album Confessions and is among the top ten award-winning musicians of all time, accepted the President’s Award. He honored his mother for guiding him on his path of philanthropy and music and dedicated the award to his family and grandmother.
Colman Domingo won the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture winner for his work in The Color Purple and Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture winner for Rustin. Andra Day performed “Back Down Memory Lane,” co-written and originally recorded by the late Minnie Riperton, during the awards “in memoriam” segment. Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman accepted the Chairman’s Award sponsored by Vaseline.
Idris and Sabrina Ellis presented a shocked Fantasia Barrino the Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture award for playing Celie in the musical movie The Color Purple. Through tears, Barrino confessed she hadn’t written a speech because she didn’t think she would win. She said she chose to play Celie for the women who would relate to the character’s story and feel like Oscars when they walked out. The crowd rose as Barrino emotionally sang, “To God be the Glory.” The Color Purple then won for Outstanding Motion Picture.
The show closed as Oprah Winfrey announced Usher as Entertainer of the Year. He shared that he got his start on her talk show.
