The Group Chat: 57th NAACP Image Awards

Behind the scenes of Black Excellence

The NAACP Image Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color across more than 80 competitive categories spanning film, television + streaming, music, literature, and podcasts.

From Creative Honors on Thursday and Friday's fashion show to the live show on BET on Saturday, stick with us to celebrate the winners and the culture.

Feb. 28 | 57th NAACP Image Awards

7 p.m. PT: That's a wrap on the 57th NAACP Image Awards live show! We came. We saw. We celebrated US! Thank you for joining us, and we'll see you next year when we do it all over again.

6:58 p.m. PT: And the moment we've all been waiting for… Michael B. Jordan is crowned Entertainer of the Year!

"The world needs more humility, more grace, more empathy, and it starts with us."

6:48 p.m. PT: And the winner for Outstanding Motion Picture is… "Sinners!" A huge congratulations to the phenomenal cast and crew who brought this powerful story to life and left an unforgettable mark on the big screen!

6:40 p.m. PT: And the award for Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture goes to Michael B. Jordan! A well-deserved honor for his incredible "dual" performance in the critically acclaimed "Sinners." He dedicated his award to the late actor Chadwick Boseman.

6:31 p.m. PT: "You don't get here alone." Actor Colman Domingo delivers a heartfelt speech, sharing what it takes to get to THIS moment as he accepts the prestigious President's Award from NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson.

6:20 p.m. PT: Tonight, we pay tribute to those we lost. #RestInPower

6:15 p.m. PT: Congratulations to Cynthia Erivo, the winner of Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for "Wicked: For Good." What a performance! What a voice!

6:12 p.m. PT: Actor Delroy Lindo and Director Ryan Coogler take the stage to present the award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture.

"There's something powerful about standing in this room tonight, a room where we don't have to explain ourselves, where our stories aren't footnotes. ~Coogler.

6:02 p.m. PT: This year's Hall of Fame Award recipients, the legendary hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella, take the stage to accept their award.

"We were told to compete. We were told to conform. We were told to make ourselves smaller in the room. But we chose to stand together and to stay true to who we are. So this award is really for the women who came before us. It's for the women standing beside us. It's for the women that's coming next, and it's for every female emcee who was ever underestimated but never silenced." ~Sandra Denton (aka Pepa)

5:58 p.m. PT: Host Deon Cole pays respect to Rev. Jesse Jackson's family in the crowd.

5:52 p.m. PT: Unforgettable emotional depth and range. Actor Sterling K. Brown accepts the award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series! "I would not be up here if it were not for Black women."

5:50 p.m. PT: Excellence. Power. Legendary energy. The winner for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series is… Angela Bassett!

5:37 p.m. PT: "There is no becoming until you face the depth and the darkness of your own soul. There is no becoming without healing and without a radical acceptance of one's truth. I know that about myself, growing up in poverty. Little chocolate girl with thick lips and wide nose in Rhode Island in 1965. I didn't see hope. I didn't see dreams. I just wanted to be somebody."

As only she can, actress Viola Davis accepts the Chairman's Award from Leon W. Russell, Chairman of the NAACP National Board of Directors, delivering some powerful words about her own "hero's journey."

5:27 p.m. PT: (WWJD… "What Would Jesse Do?")  |"He made me believe in myself." Actor Samuel L. Jackson speaks on Rev. Jesse Jackson, asking the crowd to repeat "I am somebody."

5:23 p.m. PT: "Day in and day out, he worked tirelessly to open the eyes of those who could not see. To give hope to those who had lost hope, to change the culture of our land. He was a powerful voice, but he didn't just talk the talk; he walked the walk, and now he walks with angels." President and CEO Derrick Johnson takes the stage to pay tribute to the late Rev. Jesse Jackson, who passed away on Feb. 17 at 84.

5:20 p.m. PT: Sharp, heartfelt, and hilarious! The winner of Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series is Quinta Brunson! Keep the laughs coming, Quinta! #WeSeeYou

5:11 p.m. PT: A star is born! Miles Caton wins Outstanding Breakthrough Performance in a Motion Picture for "Sinners."

5:08 p.m. PT: Actress Regina Hall gives a special shout-out to actors Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo following the BAFTAs incident where they were interrupted onstage by a racial slur. "I'd like to also, to just take a moment, to the two kings that are in the audience and just send you so much love for your class."

5 p.m. PT: "I don't want to see no ICE ever again. When I looked at the guest list, I took off Ice Cube, Ice T, Ice Spice. I don't want no ice cream. I don't want no ice in my drink. I ain't even watch the Winter Olympics because it was just too much ice." Back for his second year as host, comedian Deon Cole kicks off the night with a hilarious and thought-provoking opening monologue that touched on the Epstein Files, 50 Cent, Nicki Minaj, the recent BAFTAs incident, and more.

2:40 p.m. PT: It's almost show time! Black excellence is already starting to fill the Image Awards Red Carpet tonight. Follow along for social media highlights from @naacpimageawards.

10:11 a.m. PT: Tonight we also honor Salt-N-Pepa with the Hall of Fame Award, Viola Davis with the Chairman's Award, and Colman Domingo with the President's Award.

Across film, television, and theater, Colman has consistently chosen work that challenges narratives, expands representation, and centers humanity with dignity and grace.
~ Derrick Johnson, NAACP President and CEO

10 a.m. PT: Tonight's the night! Deon Cole is back to host the live show where we'll see who takes home Image Awards for Entertainer of the Year, Outstanding Motion Picture, and Outstanding Actress and Actor in a Motion Picture.

Feb. 27 | Fashion show

2:33 p.m. PT: The look of happy designers who just owned the runway...

1:32 p.m. PT: "I don't do red carpet. I do storytelling," Designer Ruth Carter schooled us all as she accepted her Image Award for Outstanding Costume Design for her work in Sinners. 

It's not just about the fashion, it's about the culture.
~ Ruth Carter

1:10 p.m. PT: "Black style has never just been about what we wear…When we show up, we shift the atmosphere." Host Meagan Good, kicks off the day with a reminder  

12:15 p.m. PT: The carpet is open! Make sure to follow @naacpimageawards on Instagram as The Yusufs guide us through all the fashion and celebrity sightings on the red carpet.

11:45 a.m. PT: The runway is set and the fashion is ready. Our featured designers: Bruce Glen, Bishme Cromartie, Diarrablu, and House of Gray  

Feb. 26 | Creative Honors

8:20 p.m. PT: Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant accepts the Mildred Bond Roxborough Social Justice Impact Award. Once the youngest NAACP Youth & College director in history, he thanked the Association for "allowing me to find my voice and find my space."

All of us are designed and annointed to be terrorist to a structure.
~ Rev. Dr. Jamal-Harrison Bryant

8:19 p.m. PT: Praise break! "Praise God. I love us. I so love us," Karen Boykin-Towns, NAACP Board of Directors Vice Chair

8:15 p.m. PT: Mali Music is taking us to church! 

7:57 p.m. PT: Caleb McLaughlin - if your Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in Stranger Things goes missing, Aldis Hodge has it...

7:14 p.m. PT: Don Lemon takes home the first two Image Award of the night for The Don Lemon Show!  

7:03 p.m. PT: Jane Hancock and BJ the Chicago Kid have us dancing in our seats as we celebrate and honor D'Angelo and Angie Stone.

6:50 p.m. PT: "Your creativity is more than entertainment, it's affirmation." NAACP Chairman Leon Russell kicks us off.

4:30 p.m. PT: Nominees and creatives are arriving for Creative Honors where announcements of Image Awards winners in various categories continue, leading up to the live show on Saturday.

4 p.m. PT: Creative Honors loading…