Following a week-long virtual celebration, the 53rd NAACP Image Awards were handed out to the star-studded roster of recipients at a ceremony in Los Angeles on February 26, 2022, which was simultaneously aired live on BET and hosted by seven-time NAACP Image Awards winner Anthony Anderson. The award ceremony, as well as the preceding virtual celebration is, according to the NAACP:

"A celebration of the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color across more than 80 competitive categories – including the non-televised awards program, and a curated conversation series."

The ceremony honored a number of performers across film and television for their outstanding performances over the past year. Winners included Angela Basset (9-1-1), Will Smith (King Richard), Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us), Issa Rae (Insecure), and Anthony Anderson (black-ish). Jennifer Hudson took home an award for her starring role in Aretha Franklin biopic Respect, as well as the award for Entertainer of the Year. The Harder They Fall, starring Jonathan Majors, Idris Elba, and Regina King — who was also present at the ceremony — took home the prize for Outstanding Motion Picture.

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Image via Earl Gibson III/ NAACP

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Also in attendance were Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who were joint recipients of the President's Award for their work in promoting equity in the United States and globally. NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson said, "Through the work of their foundation and their unwavering commitment to the causes we believe in and share, [The Duke and Duchess of Sussex] have demonstrated they are so deserving of this honor."

Actor Samuel L. Jackson was presented with the Chairman's Award, and used his acceptance speech to quote civil rights activist Marian Wright saying:

"Service is the rent we pay for being. The very purpose of life and not something we do in our spare time,” prompted the audience to continue “to put [their] legs, [their] bodies, and our voices to work to make sure that people do get out and vote no matter what they do keep us from doing it.”

In addition to the awards, the ceremony included a performance by multi-hyphenate, nine-time Grammy award-winning powerhouse Mary J. Blige. Also in attendance at the ceremony were Kerry Washington, Lil Nas X, LL Cool J, Megan Thee Stallion, Michael Strahan, Morgan Freeman, Paula Patton, Simu Liu, Tiffany Haddish, and Zendaya.

The 53rd NAACP Image Awards will re-air on BET on February 28, 2022 at 9PM ET/PT.