The Color Purple topped the 2024 NAACP Image Awards.
The Blitz Bazawule-directed remake was named best motion picture and took home three more awards during the televised awards show Saturday night. Going into the telecast, the movie had already won seven awards, presented during non-televised ceremonies earlier this week, from its 16 nominations. So, in total, The Color Purple took home 11 NAACP Image Awards.
Producer Oprah Winfrey was a surprise presenter for the NAACP Image Awards’ top prize of Entertainer of the Year, which went to President’s Award honoree Usher, and when she took the stage towards the end of the telecast she thanked the audience for “all of this Color Purple love.”
Earlier, star Danielle Brooks accepted the best motion picture award as best actress winner Fantasia Barrino and supporting actress recipient Taraji P. Henson were part of the group joining her onstage.
Brooks thanked the film’s cast and crew and “those that came before us,” referencing the 1985 film version of Alice Walker’s novel, which starred Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg.
“This story truly is our cinematic heirloom,” Brooks said. “We pray this story continues to heal families’ trauma … [and] hope we continue to …. become heroes and she-roes of our story.”
During her best actress acceptance speech, an emotional Barrino appeared overwhelmed as she said, “I don’t even have a speech because I didn’t think I was going to win.”
She added, “I was afraid to play Celie, but I’m glad I did because I kept saying if I don’t win an award, the awards that I will win is the people that will watch The Color Purple and the women who will relate to her and who will feel like Oscars when they walk out [of the theater].”
Thanking God, she said of her award, “This does not make me, but I thank you for it.” And she ended her speech singing “To God be the Glory.”
Queen Latifah hosted the 55th annual edition of the awards, which aired on BET and CBS, for the second year in a row. The televised ceremony, which began more than 20 minutes after its scheduled start time of 8 p.m. ET and didn’t end until 10:30 p.m. ET (the awards were set to air delayed at 8 p.m. PT), came after the NAACP presented awards in non-televised categories earlier this week.
Latifah kicked off the show with a cold open featuring the host receiving a call from Vice President Kamala Harris backstage. Later, onstage, Latifah pretended she received a call from President Joe Biden on her cellphone. She joked with both Biden and Harris about getting them some high-quality Usher sweat.
During her monologue, Latifah shouted out people in the audience and name-checked notable Black figures who made significant achievements over the past year including Maryland Governor Wes Moore, Patrick Mahomes, Usher, Coco Gauff, Beyoncé and Tracy Chapman, jokingly calling Luke Combs’ cover of “Fast Car,” “the first time a Black artist actually gave consent to a white person to take a song.”
Harris had urged Latifah to remind people of the 2024 elections and told her to tell the audience to register to vote and check their voting status at vote.gov, and Latifah did just that after addressing some key issues, including pay inequality in Hollywood.
“Everybody keeps talking about inflation,” Latifah said. “You know what’s not feeling inflation?”
“Equal pay for Black actresses,” Taraji P. Henson chimed in from the audience. The Color Purple star, who won the first award of the evening for her role in the film, has been outspoken about her struggles to receive increased compensation despite her long career, including awards…
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