Angela Bassett, 64, is crowned Entertainer of the Year (beating out Zendaya and Mary J. Blige) after winning Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards
Angela Bassett beamed as she proudly accepted the coveted Entertainer of the Year and Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series gongs on Saturday night during the 54th NAACP Image Awards.
The 64-year-old longtime performer earned the recognition for her role in Ryan Murphy’s 9-1-1.
While giving her acceptance speech for her first award onstage in Downtown Los Angeles, the mother-of-two gushed, ‘Thank you, thank you to the NAACP for this award.’
She said, ‘It’s always a deep honor to receive this recognition from home, from family.’ The Waiting to Exhale star looked incredible in a fashion-forward white one-piece pantsuit with ruffled sleeve accents.
During her acceptance speech she also teasingly quoted Ariana DeBose, who infamously rapped about her at the BAFTA Awards earlier in February. ‘I guess Angela Bassett did the thing!’ the actress said to cheers from the audience.
Angela was presented her first award by rapper-turned-actor Cliff ‘Method Man’ Smith and Snowfall star Damson Idris.
She continued, ‘I never get tired of thanking my family. Courtney Vance, Bronwyn and Slater, I love you.’
Then the superstar reflected on how she got her start in Hollywood as she said, ‘Some of you may recall when I first came to L.A. I did a lot of episodic TV.
‘Ryan Murphy shared with me his vision and his idea that he wanted me to be a part of 9-1-1, I was excited to see what it was we could do.’
The heartfelt acceptance went on, ‘It’s been six years and we are still standing strong.’
Bassett expressed gratitude as she added, ‘So I’m thankful to him for him seeing me and for believing in my contribution to the show and for his support.
‘I am thankful to Dana Walden, Tim Minear, Brad falchuk, the amazing cast and crew of 9-1-1 and to all the fans who are going along with me on this journey. Thank you. I love you.’
Host Queen Latifah presented Bassett with her second recognition, the final award of the evening.
 after winning Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards){kind=link}
 after winning Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards){kind=link}