Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith, And Issa Rae Win Big At NAACP Image Awards 2022

February 28, 2022

Jennifer Hudson, Will Smith, Issa Rae, and more have big wins to celebrate after the 2022 NAACP Image Awards. Honoring talent across more than 80 categories, winners were named during the virtual ceremonies from Feb. 21 until Feb. 25 and concluded with the 53rd annual event televised on Saturday (Feb. 26). Hosted by Anthony Anderson, the 2022 NAACP Image Awards aired live on BET.

Hudson took home the night’s top honor as she was named Entertainer Of The Year. The multitalented star beat out Lil Nas X, Megan Thee Stallion, Regina King, and Tiffany Haddish.  Hudson also won Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for Respect.

“I was just standing here thinking ‘It was here – the NAACP Awards – where I watched so many legends and icons that inspired me,” said the Oscar and Grammy Award winner. “Now, I’m standing here holding an award like this. It’s because of seeing the Arethas, the Patti LaBelles, the Halle Berrys, all these legends right here on this stand that inspired me,” she said as she accepted the Entertainer Of The Year award.

Will Smith, who had already nabbed the Outstanding Literary Work – Biography/Autobiography for his memoir WILL, was also recognized for his on-screen talent. The veteran actor won Outstanding Actor for his role of Richard Williams, father to Serena and Venus Williams, in King Richard.  

As she continues to build her Hollywood Empire, Issa Rae has more gold to add to her trophy case. The actress scored Outstanding Actress In A Comedy Series for her landmark series Insecure which won the Outstanding Comedy Series category. The show beat out Black-Ish, Harlem, Run The World, and The Upshaws. Rae’s performance as Issa Dee won over her co-star Yvonne Orji as well as Tracee Ellis Ross for Black-Ish, Regina Hall for Black Monday, and Loretta Devine for Family Reunion. Rae also won the Outstanding Writing In A Comedy Series category for  the Insecure series finale “Everything’s Gonna Be, Okay?!”  

In previously announced categories, R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan took home a handful of honors including  Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Album for 2021’s Heaux Tales, and Outstanding Soul/R&B Song for “Pick Up Your Feelings.”

View the full list of winners at the 2022 NAACP Image Awards below.

American Skin
Bruised
CODA — WINNER
Test Pattern
The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain

7 Prisoners — WINNER
African America
Eyimofe (This is My Desire)
Flee
The Gravedigger’s Wife

Ariana DeBose, West Side Story
Danny Boyd, Jr., Bruised — WINNER
Jalon Christian, A Journal For Jordan
Lonnie Chavis, The Water Man 
Sheila Atim, Bruised

Coming 2 America
Judas and the Black Messiah
King Richard
Respect
The Harder They Fall  — WINNER

Andre Braugher, Spirit Untamed
Awkwafina, Raya and the Last Dragon
Brian Tyree Henry, Vivo
Eric André, Sing 2
Letitia Wright, Sing 2  — WINNER

Aurinko in Adagio
Blackout
The Ice Cream Stop
These Final Hours
When The Sun Sets (Lakutshon’ Ilanga)  — WINNER

Blush
Robin Robin
She Dreams at Sunrise
Twenty Something
Us Again  — WINNER

Alex R. Hibbert, The Chi
Cliff “Method Man” Smith, Power Book II: Ghost  — WINNER
Daniel Ezra, All American
Giancarlo Esposito, Godfather of Harlem 
Joe Morton, Our Kind of People

Alfre Woodard, SEE
Bianca Lawson, Queen Sugar
Chandra Wilson, Grey’s Anatomy
Mary J. Blige, Power Book II: Ghost  — WINNER
Susan Kelechi Watson, This is Us

Courtney B. Vance, Genius: Aretha  — WINNER
Keith David, Black As Night
Tituss Burgess, Annie Live!
Will Catlett, True Story
William Jackson Harper, The Underground Railroad

Anika Noni Rose, Maid
Natasha Rothwell, The White Lotus
Pauletta Washington, Genius: Aretha
Regina Hall, Nine Perfect Strangers  — WINNER
Sheila Atim, The Underground Railroad 

Blood on Black Wall Street: The Legacy of the Tulsa Massacre
NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt
Soul of A Nation
The Reid Out  — WINNER  
Unsung

Desus & Mero
Hart to Heart
Red Table Talk  — WINNER  
Tamron Hall
The Real 

Celebrity Family Feud
Iyanla: Fix My Life
Sweet Life: Los Angeles
The Voice
Wild ‘n Out  — WINNER   

A Black Lady Sketch Show
BET Awards 2021
Dave Chappelle: The Closer
Savage X Fenty Show Vol. 3
The Daily Show with Trevor Noah  — WINNER  

Ada Twist, Scientist
Family Reunion  — WINNER 
Karma’s World
Raven’s Home
Waffles + Mochi

Alayah “Lay Lay” High, That Girl Lay Lay
Celina Smith, Annie Live! 
Elisha ‘EJ’ Williams, The Wonder Years
Eris Baker, This Is Us
Miles Brown, black-ish  — WINNER 

Joy Reid, The Reidout
Daniel “Desus Nice” Baker, Joel “The Kid Mero” Martinez, Desus & Mero
Garcelle Beauvais, Adrienne Houghton, Loni Love, Jeannie Mai Jenkins, The Real
Jada Pinkett Smith, Adrienne Banfield-Norris, Willow Smith, Red Table Talk  — WINNER  
LeBron James, The Shop: Uninterrupted

Alfonso Ribeiro, America’s Funniest Home Videos
Amber Ruffin, The Amber Ruffin Show
Cedric The Entertainer, 73rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards
Iyanla Vanzant, Iyanla: Fix My Life
Trevor Noah, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah  — WINNER  

Alani “La La” Anthony, The Chi
Christina Elmore, Insecure
Daniel Kaluuya, Saturday Night Live
Erika Alexander, Run the World
Maya Rudolph, Saturday Night Live — WINNER  

Big Mouth
Peanut Headz: Black History Toonz
Super Sema
We The People  — WINNER  
Yasuke 

Angela Bassett, Malika: The Lion Queen
Billy Porter, Fairfax
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Karma’s World
Cree Summer, Rugrats  — WINNER  
Keke Palmer, Big Mouth

Between the Scenes – The Daily Show  — WINNER  
Dark Humor
Della Mae
The Disney Launchpad: Shorts Incubator
Two Sides: Unfaithful

Life By The Horns
Memory Builds The Monument
Widen the Screen: 8:46 Films
Through Our Eyes: Shelter
Lynching Postcards: Token of a Great Day  — WINNER  

Angel Kristi Williams, Colin in Black & White  — WINNER
Cierra Glaude, Queen Sugar
Deborah Riley Draper, The Legacy of Black Wall Street
Halcyon Person, Karma’s World
Quyen Tran, Maid

Coming 2 America (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Eddie Murphy, Craig Brewer, Kevin Misher,  Randy Spendlove, Jeff Harleston, Brittney Ramsdell
Judas and the Black Messiah (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Mark Isham and Craig Harris
Respect (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) – Jason Michael Webb and Stephen Bray
The Harder They Fall (The Motion Picture Soundtrack) – JAY-Z and Jeymes Samuel  — WINNER  
The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Music from the Motion Picture) – Salaam Remi, Andra Day, Raphael Saadiq, Warren “E” Felder, Downtown Trevor Brown

“Believe For It” – CeCe Winans
“Help Me” – Tamela Mann feat. The Fellas  — WINNER  
“Hold Us Together (Hope Mix)” – H.E.R. and Tauren Wells
“Overcome 2021” – Kirk Franklin
“Time for Reparations” – Sounds of Blackness

Forever…Jaz – Jazmin Ghent
Love Languages – Nathan Mitchell
Somewhere Different – Brandee Younger
Sounds from the Ancestors – Kenny Garrett  — WINNER  
The Magic of Now – Orrin Evans

Dear Love – Jazzmeia Horn and Her Noble Force
Generations – The Baylor Project  — WINNER  
Ledisi Sings Nina – Ledisi
Let There Be Love – Freda Payne
SALSWING! – Rubén Blades y Roberto Delgado & Orquesta

“Damage” – H.E.R.
“Be Alive” – Beyoncé
“Have Mercy” – Chlöe
“Leave The Door Open” – Silk Sonic
“Pick Up Your Feelings” – Jazmine Sullivan  — WINNER  

“Best Friend” – Saweetie feat. Doja Cat
“Fye Fye” – Tobe Nwigwe feat. Fat Nwigwe  — WINNER 
“Industry Baby” – Lil Nas X feat. Jack Harlow
“My Life” – J. Cole feat. 21 Savage and Morray
“Way 2 Sexy” – Drake

Anthony Hamilton feat. Jennifer Hudson – “Superstar”
Chlöe x Halle – “Georgia On My Mind”
Silk Sonic – “Leave the Door Open”  — WINNER  
Jazmine Sullivan feat. H.E.R. – “Girl Like Me”
Leela James feat. Anthony Hamilton – “Complicated (Remix)”

Chris Brown feat. Young Thug, Future, Lil Durk and Latto – “Go Crazy (Remix)”
Doja Cat feat. SZA – “Kiss Me More”
Tobe Nwigwe feat. Fat Nwigwe – “Fye Fye”  — WINNER  
Drake feat. Future & Young Thug – “Way 2 Sexy”
H.E.R. feat. Chris Brown – “Come Through”

Attica
Barbara Lee: Speaking Truth to Power  — WINNER
My Name Is Pauli Murray
Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)
Tina 

1971: The Year That Music Changed Everything
American Masters: How It Feels to Be Free
Blood Brothers: Malcolm X & Muhammad Ali
High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America  — WINNER  
Insecure Documentary

Ashley Nicole Black – Ted Lasso – “Do the Right-est Thing”
Issa Rae – Insecure -“Everything’s Gonna Be, Okay?!”  — WINNER  
Leann Bowen – Ted Lasso – “Lavender”
Maya Erskine – Pen15 – “Blue in Green”
Temi Wilkey – Sex Education – “Episode #3.6”

Aurin Squire – Evil – “C Is For Cop”
Davita Scarlett – The Good Fight – “And the Firm Had Two Partners…”  — WINNER  
Malcolm Spellman – The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – “New World Order”
Nkechi Okoro Carroll – All American – “Homecoming”
Steven Canals, Janet Mock, Our Lady J, Brad Falchuk, Ryan Murphy – Pose – “Series Finale”

Abdul Williams – Salt-N-Pepa  — WINNER  
Mario Miscione, Marcella Ochoa – Madres
Monique N. Matthew – A Holiday In Harlem
Sameer Gardezi – Hot Mess Holiday
Sherman Payne – Black As Night

Janicza Bravo, Jeremy O. Harris – Zola
Jeymes Samuel, Boaz Yakin – The Harder They Fall
Shaka King, Will Berson, Kenny Lucas, Keith Lucas – Judas and the Black Messiah  — WINNER   
Virgil Williams – A Journal for Jordan
Win Rosenfeld, Nia DaCosta, Jordan Peele – Candyman

Bashir Salahuddin, Diallo Riddle – South Side – “Tornado”  — WINNER  
Melina Matsoukas – Insecure – “Reunited, Okay?!”
Neema Barnette – Harlem – “Once Upon A Time in Harlem”
Prentice Penny – Insecure – “Everything’s Gonna Be, Okay?!”
Tiffany Johnson – Black Monday – “Eight!”

Anthony Hemingway – Genius: Aretha “Respect”
Barry Jenkins – The Underground Railroad – “Indiana Winter”  — WINNER   
Carl Seaton – Snowfall – “Fight or Flight”
Carl Seaton – Godfather of Harlem – “The Bonanno Split”
Hanelle Culpepper – True Story – “Like Cain Did Abel”

Jaffar Mahmood – Hot Mess Holiday
Kenny Leon – Robin Roberts Presents: Mahalia  — WINNER  
Mario Van Peebles – Salt-N-Pepa 
Maritte Lee Go – Black As Night 
Veronica Rodriguez – Let’s Get Merried 

Denzel Washington – A Journal for Jordan
Jeymes Samuel – The Harder They Fall 
Lin-Manuel Miranda – tick tick…BOOM! 
Reinaldo Marcus Green – King Richard 
Shaka King – Judas and the Black Messiah  — WINNER  

Andre Gaines – The One and Only Dick Gregory
Dawn Porter – Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer 
Sam Pollard – MLK/FBI
Samantha Knowles, Yoruba Richen, Geeta Gandbhir, Nadia Hallgren – Black and Missing  — WINNER   
Spike Lee – NYC Epicenters 9/11➔2021½ 

Harlem Shuffle – Colson Whitehead
Libertie – Kaitlyn Greenidge
Long Division – Kiese Laymon  — WINNER  
The Man Who Lived Underground – Richard Wright
The Perishing – Natashia Deón

Dance Theatre of Harlem – Judy Tyrus, Paul Novosel
Just As I Am – Cicely Tyson
My Remarkable Journey – Katherine Johnson
Renegades: Born in the USA – Barack Obama, Bruce Springsteen
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story – Nikole Hannah-Jones  — WINNER 

Just As I Am – Cicely Tyson  — WINNER 
My Remarkable Journey – Katherine Johnson
Other Black Girl: A Novel – Zakiya Dalila Harris
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois – Honorée Fanonne Jeffers
Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts – Rebecca Hal

Just As I Am – Cicely Tyson
Unbound: My Story of Liberation and the Birth of the Me Too Movement – Tarana Burke
Unprotected: A Memoir – Billy Porter
Until I Am Free – Keisha Blain
Will – Will Smith  — WINNER 

Diversity Is Not Enough: A Roadmap to Recruit, Develop and Promote Black Leaders in America  – Keith Wyche
Feeding the Soul (Because It’s My Business) – Tabitha Brown  — WINNER 
Permission to Dream – Chris Gardner
Teaching Black History to White People – Leonard N. Moore
The Conversation: How Seeking and Speaking the Truth About Racism Can Radically Transform Individuals and Organizations – Robert Livingston

Perfect Black – Crystal Wilkinson  — WINNER 
Playlist for the Apocalypse – Rita Dove
Such Color: New and Selected Poems – Tracy K. Smith
The Wild Fox of Yemen – Threa Almontaser
What Water Knows: Poems – Jacqueline Jones LaMon

Black Ballerinas: My Journey to Our Legacy – Misty Copeland
Change Sings – Amanda Gorman, Loren Long
Stacey’s Extraordinary Words – Stacey Abrams, Kitt Thomas  — WINNER 
Time for Bed, Old House – Janet Costa Bates, A.G. Ford
When Langston Dances – Kaija Langley, Keith Mallett

Ace of Spades – Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé  — WINNER  
Happily Ever Afters – Elise Bryant
The Cost of Knowing – Brittney Morris
When You Look Like Us – Pamela N. Harris
Wings of Ebony – J. Elle

#SundayCivics
After the Uprising: The Death of Danyé Dion Jones
Blindspot: Tulsa Burning  — WINNER 
Into America
Un(re)solved

Checking In with Michelle Williams
The Homecoming Podcast with Dr. Thema
The SonRise Project Podcast
Two Funny Mamas: Sherri Shepherd & Kym Whitley  — WINNER 
Under Construction w/ Tamar Braxton

Beyond the Scenes – The Daily Show
Jemele Hill is Unbothered  — WINNER 
Professional Troublemaker
Questlove Supreme
Super Soul Podcast

Club Shay Shay podcast with Shannon Sharpe
Jemele Hill is Unbothered  — WINNER 
Questlove Supreme
Reasonably Shady
The History of Sketch Comedy with Keegan-Michael Key

@Euniquejg – Eunique Jones GIbson
@KevOnStage – Kevin Fredericks
@Laronhinesofficial – Laron Hines  — WINNER
@_Lyneezy – Lanae Vanee
@Terrellgrice –  Terrell Grice

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