Ayo Edebiri, Keke Palmer and Jamie Foxx’s stand-up special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was were among the winners on the first night of the 56th NAACP Image Awards. The non-televised awards were presented virtually on Tuesday night.
The awards, which honor the year’s best in Black achievement and excellence, will be handed out in two pre-show nights continuing Thursday, and a Creative Arts ceremony Friday ahead of Saturday’s main ceremony at the Pasadena Civic Center, airing live on BET and CBS at 7 p.m. CT
The Emmy-winning Edebiri won for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television) for her role in The Bear, while Palmer won for Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition for NBC’s game show Password. They were joined on the winners list by Samuel L. Jackson and Taraji P. Henson among others across TV, short film and book categories.
On Saturday night, Dave Chappelle will receive the President’s Award. Past recipients of the prestigious honor include Muhammad Ali, Jay-Z, Spike Lee, Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell, Condoleezza Rice, Jay-Z, Rihanna, LeBron James, Usher, Kerry Washington, Lauryn Hill and Gabrielle Union-Wade and Dwyane Wade.
Former vice president Kamala Harris will receive the Chairman’s Award in recognition of her work in public service and leveraging her platform to drive meaningful change.
The Wayans family — Keenen Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans Sr., Marlon Wayans, Shawn Wayans, Kim Wayans and Damon Wayans Jr. — will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.
Here’s the Night 1 winners list:
TELEVISION
Outstanding Children’s Program
“Gracie’s Corner” – YouTube TV
Outstanding Performance by a Youth (Series, Special, Television Movie or Limited Series)
Leah Sava Jeffries – “Percy Jackson and the Olympics” (Disney+)
Outstanding Animated Series
“Gracie’s Corner” – YouTube TV
Outstanding Character Voice-Over Performance (Television)
Cree Summer – “Rugrats” (Nickelodeon)
Outstanding Variety (Series or Special)
“Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was” (Netflix)
Outstanding Guest Performance
Marlon Wayans – “Bel-Air” (Peacock)
Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series
Crystal Jenkins – “No Good Deed – Letters of Intent” Netflix)
Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series
Ben Watkins – Cross “Hero Complex” (Prime Video)
Outstanding Writing in a Television Movie or Special
Juel Taylor, Tony Rettenmaier, Thembi L. Banks – “Young. Wild. Free.” (BET+)
Outstanding Breakthrough Creative (Television)
Ayo Edebiri – “The Bear” (FX/Hulu)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special, Movie)
Taraji P. Henson – “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” (Peacock)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Television (Series, Special, Movie)
Samuel L. Jackson – “Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist” (Peacock)
Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie or Special
Tina Mabry – “The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat” (Hulu)
Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series
Tiffany Johnson – “How to Die Alone – ‘Trust No One’” (Hulu)
Outstanding Directing in a Drama Series
Rapman – “Supacell – ‘Supacell’” (Netflix)
Outstanding News/Information (Series or Special)
“The Reidout” – MSNBC
Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition, Game Show or Variety (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble
Keke Palmer – “Password” (NBC)
Outstanding Reality Program, Reality Competition Services/Game Show
“Celebrity Family Feud” (ABC)
BOOKS
Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction
“One of Us Knows: A Thriller” – Alyssa Cole (William Morrow – HarperCollins Publishers)
Outstanding Literary Work – Non-Fiction
“Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest” – Fawn Weaver (Melcher Media Inc.)
Outstanding Literary Work – Debut Author
Sarai Johnson – “Grown Women” (Harper – HarperCollins Publishers)
Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography
“Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America” – Joy-Ann Reid (Mariner Books – HarperCollins Publishers)
Outstanding Literary Work – Instructional
“Wash Day: Passing on the Legacy, Rituals, and Love of Natural Hair” – Tomesha Faxio (Clarkson Potter – Crown Publishing Group)
Outstanding Literary Work – Poetry
“This Is the Honey: An Anthology of Contemporary Black Poets” – Kwame Alexander (Little, Brown and Company – Hachette Book Group)
Outstanding Literary Work – Children
“You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!): A Lil TJ Book” – Taraji P. Henson, Paul Kellam (Zonderkidz – HarperCollins Publishers)
Outstanding Literary Work – Youth/Teens
“Brushed Between Cultures: A YA Coming of Age Novel Set in Brooklyn, New York” – Samarra St. Hilaire (Self-Published)
Outstanding Literary Work – Graphic Novel
“Punk Rock Karaoke” – Bianca Xunise
SHORT FORM
Outstanding ShortForm Series or Special – Reality/Nonfiction/Documentary
“The Prince of Death Row Records” (YouTube TV)
Outstanding Short Form Documentary (Film)
“How to Sue the Klan”
Outstanding Short Form (Live Action)
“Superman Doesn’t Steal”
Outstanding Short Form (Animated)
“Peanut Headz: Black History Toonz “Jackie Robinson” (Exhibit Treal Studios