The 2022 NAACP Image Awards were presented on BET on Feb. 26—and Jennifer Hudson took top honors at the ceremony, Variety reported.
Hudson—an Oscar-winning American Idol alumna who's from Chicago—won both the coveted Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture awards (the latter for her portrayal of Aretha Franklin in the film Respect). In winning the former award, she edged rapper Megan Thee Stallion, actress Regina King, actress/comedian Tiffany Haddish and out gay rapper Lil Nas X.
The Harder They Fall won the Outstanding Motion Picture award, beating Judas and the Black Messiah, King Richard, Respect and The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Will Smith won the Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture award (for King Richard); Daniel Kaluuya won for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture (for Judas and the Black Messiah), and King snagged Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture honors (for The Harder They Fall).
In the television categories, winners included Insecure (Outstanding Comedy Series), Anthony Anderson (Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series, for black-ish), Issa Rae (Outstanding Actress in a Comedy Series, for Insecure), Queen Sugar (Outstanding Drama Series), Sterling K. Brown (Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, for This Is Us) and Angela Bassett (Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series, for 9-1-1), Anthony Hamilton (Outstanding Male Artist) and Jazmine Sullivan (Outstanding Female Artist), among others.
The 2022 NAACP Image Awards announced winners in several non-televised categories via streaming presentations last week, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Notable literary winners included Will Smith (best biography/autobiography) for his eponymous memoir Will; the late Cicely Tyson, who ironically won the award for debut author for her memoir Just As I Am; Nikole Hannah-Jones' 1619 Project (best non-fiction literary work); The Harder They Fall (Outstanding Ensemble Cast in a Motion Picture); and Sherri Shepherd and Kym Whitley's Two Funny Mamas (best lifestyle/self-help podcast), among others. Hannah-Jones also received the Social Justice Impact Award from the NAACP.
The live show will air Saturday, March 26.
