The 56th Annual NAACP Image Awards have officially begun, with the first set of winners announced during a two-night virtual ceremony streamed on the NAACP Image Awards YouTube channel. Hosted by Angel Laketa Moore and Marcus Tanksley, the non-televised event celebrated Black excellence across television, film, literature, and children’s programming.
Among the big winners of the night were Taraji P. Henson and Samuel L. Jackson, who both took home awards for their performances in Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist. Henson won for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Television Series, Special, or Movie, while Jackson earned the Outstanding Supporting Actor award. The beloved children’s program Gracie’s Corner also secured two wins, recognizing its impact on young audiences.
Jamie Foxx’s Netflix comedy special Jamie Foxx: What Had Happened Was won for Outstanding Variety (Series or Special), adding to the star’s decorated career. Meanwhile, The Bear’s Ayo Edebiri continued her awards-season success with a win for Outstanding Breakthrough Creative in Television. Keke Palmer was also recognized, winning Outstanding Host in a Reality/Reality Competition for her work on NBC’s Password.
Other notable winners included The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat director Tina Mabry, who won for Best Directing in a TV Movie or Special, and Tiffany Johnson, who received Best Directing in a Comedy Series for How to Die Alone. Despite the show’s recent cancellation, Johnson’s win underscores her creative excellence. Marlon Wayans was also honored for his guest performance on Peacock’s Bel-Air.
In the literary category, MSNBC host Joy Ann Reid won two awards: one for The Reidout in the Outstanding News/Information Series or Special category and another for her biography Medgar and Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America. Henson, in addition to her acting win, received an award for her children’s book You Can Be a Good Friend (No Matter What!): A Lil TJ Book.
The night also highlighted the achievements of voice actors, with Leah Sava Jeffries, star of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, winning Outstanding Performance in a TV category. Cree Summer took home the award for Outstanding Voiceover Performance for her work in Nickelodeon’s Rugrats.
A significant moment of the pre-show ceremonies was the announcement that ESSENCE Communications will receive a special award at the Creative Honors ceremony on February 21. As a longstanding pillar of Black media and culture, ESSENCE continues to amplify Black voices and narratives, making it a fitting recipient of this prestigious recognition.
Special honorees for this year’s main ceremony include Vice President Kamala Harris, who will receive the Chairman’s Award; comedian Dave Chappelle, set to receive the President’s Award; and the legendary Wayans family, who will be inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.
The 2025 NAACP Image Awards will culminate in a live broadcast on February 22 from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, airing on BET and CBS at 8pm ET. The ceremony will also serve as a platform to support the Altadena, Pacific Palisades, and Pasadena communities impacted by the recent L.A. wildfires. The NAACP, in partnership with BET Media Group, WME, Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole, Community Aid Dena, Altadena Heritage and WalkGood LA, launched the Altadena Community Preservation Fund, aimed at preventing displacement and preserving the area’s cultural heritage.
See the full list of winners from the first night of the 2025 NAACP Image Awards ceremony below:
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 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
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)
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)
