Before the NAACP Image Awards‘ main, televised ceremony kicks off Saturday night, some of this year’s winners were announced in a non-televised Creative Honors event on Friday night.
Nickel Boys, a six-time nominee, took home two awards, with director RaMell Ross winning for best directing in a motion picture and Ross and co-writer Joslyn Barnes winning best writing in a motion picture for their Oscar-nominated adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s novel.
Another double winner was Jennifer Hudson, who saw her eponymous daytime talk show win best talk series as she won best host in a talk series.
Other notable winners included Sing Sing (best independent motion picture), Denzel Washington (best supporting actor in a motion picture for his work in Gladiator II), Inside Out 2 (best animated movie), Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (best limited series), Abbott Elementary (best comedy series), Cross (best drama series), the Luther Vandross doc Luther: Never Too Much (best documentary film) and Shannon Sharpe‘s Club Shay Shay (best society and culture podcast). Sharpe is also nominated for the NAACP Image Awards‘ top prize of entertainer of the year, which will be awarded on Saturday night.
Earlier this week, winners in other non-televised categories were presented in virtual ceremonies on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The televised 2025 NAACP Image Awards ceremony, hosted by Deon Cole, will air on BET and CBS at 8 p.m. Saturday from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. Dave Chappelle, former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Wayans family and BET Media Group are among this year’s honorees.
The awards will also support the Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Pasadena communities affected by the recent L.A. wildfires. The NAACP, BET Media Group, WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewett and Kole (JSSK) have partnered with L.A. County and — in collaboration with organizations like Community Aid Dena, Altadena Heritage and WalkGood LA — launched the Altadena Community Preservation Fund, designed to protect homeowners from displacement and preserve the community’s cultural heritage.
Read on for a full list of winners from Friday’s NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors.
Outstanding Social Media Personality of the Year
Kai Cenat
Keith Lee
RaeShanda Lias
Shirley Raines (WINNER)
Tony Baker
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Brian Tyree Henry — The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios)
Corey Hawkins — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
David Alan Grier — The American Society of Magical Negroes (Focus Features)
Denzel Washington — Gladiator II (Paramount Pictures) (WINNER)
Samuel L. Jackson — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — Exhibiting Forgiveness (Roadside Attractions)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)
Danielle Deadwyler — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Ebony Obsidian — The Six Triple Eight (Netflix) (WINNER)
Lynn Whitfield — Albany Road (Faith Filmworks)
Outstanding Independent Motion Picture
Albany Road (Faith Filmworks)
Exhibiting Forgiveness (Roadside Attractions)
Rob Peace (Republic Pictures)
Sing Sing (A24) (WINNER)
We Grown Now (Sony Pictures Classics)
Outstanding Animated Motion Picture
Inside Out 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures) (WINNER)
Kung Fu Panda 4 (DreamWorks Animation)
Moana 2 (Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures)
Piece by Piece (Focus Features)
The Wild Robot (DreamWorks Animation)
Outstanding Youth Performance in a Motion Picture
Anthony B. Jenkins — The Deliverance (Netflix)
Blake Cameron James — We Grown Now (Sony Pictures Classics)
Jeremiah Daniels — Color Book (Tribeca Studios)
Percy Daggs IV — Never Let Go (Lionsgate)
Skylar Aleece Smith — The Piano Lesson (Netflix) (WINNER)
Outstanding Comedy Series
Abbott Elementary (ABC) (WINNER)
How to Die Alone (Hulu)
Poppa’s House (CBS)
The Neighborhood (CBS)
The Upshaws (Netflix)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Damon Wayans Jr. — Poppa’s House (CBS) (WINNER)
Giancarlo Esposito — The Gentlemen (Netflix)
Kenan Thompson — Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Tyler James Williams — Abbott Elementary (ABC)
William Stanford Davis — Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Danielle Pinnock — Ghosts (CBS) (WINNER)
Ego Nwodim — Saturday Night Live (NBC)
Janelle James — Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Sheryl Lee Ralph — Abbott Elementary (ABC)
Wanda Sykes — The Upshaws (Netflix)
Outstanding Drama Series
9-1-1 (ABC)
Bel-Air (Peacock)
Cross (Amazon Prime Video) (WINNER)
Found (NBC)
Reasonable Doubt (Hulu)
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Adrian Holmes — Bel-Air (Peacock)
Cliff “Method Man” Smith — Power Book II: Ghost (Starz) (WINNER)
Isaiah Mustafa — Cross (Amazon Prime Video)
Jacob Latimore — The Chi (Paramount+)
Morris Chestnut — Reasonable Doubt (Hulu)
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Adjoa Andoh — Bridgerton (Netflix)
Coco Jones — Bel-Air (Peacock)
Golda Rosheuvel — Bridgerton (Netflix)
Lorraine Toussaint — The Equalizer (CBS)
Lynn Whitfield — The Chi (Paramount+) (WINNER)
Outstanding Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie)
Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (Peacock) (WINNER)
Genius: MLK/X (National Geographic)
Griselda (Netflix)
Rebel Ridge (Netflix)
The Madness (Netflix)
Outstanding Actor in a Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie)
Aaron Pierre — Rebel Ridge (Netflix) (WINNER)
Colman Domingo — The Madness (Netflix)
Kelvin Harrison Jr. — Genius: MLK/X (National Geographic)
Kevin Hart — Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (Peacock)
Laurence Fishburne — Clipped (FX/Hulu)
Outstanding Actress in a Limited Television (Series, Special or Movie)
Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor — The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (Hulu/Searchlight Pictures)
Naturi Naughton — Abducted at an HBCU: A Black Girl Missing Movie (Lifetime) (WINNER)
Sanaa Lathan — The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (Hulu/Searchlight Pictures)
Sofía Vergara — Griselda (Netflix)
Uzo Aduba — The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat (Hulu/Searchlight Pictures)
Outstanding Talk Series
Hart to Heart (Peacock)
Sherri (Syndicated)
Tamron Hall Show (Syndicated)
The Jennifer Hudson Show (Syndicated) (WINNER)
The Shop Season 7 (YouTube)
Outstanding Host in a Talk or News/Information (Series or Special) – Individual or Ensemble
Abby Phillip — NewsNight with Abby Phillip (CNN)
Henry Louis Gates Jr. — Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. (PBS)
Jennifer Hudson — The Jennifer Hudson Show (Syndicated) (WINNER)
Joy Reid — The Reidout (MSNBC)
Sherri Shepherd — Sherri (Syndicated)
Outstanding Documentary (Film)
Daughters (Netflix)
Frida (Amazon MGM Studios)
King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones (Freestyle Digital Media)
Luther: Never Too Much (Sony Music Entertainment/Sony Music Publishing/CNN Films) (WINNER)
The Greatest Night in Pop (Netflix)
Outstanding Documentary (Television)
Black Barbie: A Documentary (Netflix) (WINNER)
Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu)
Gospel (PBS)
Simone Biles Rising (Netflix)
Sprint (Netflix)
Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture
Barry Jenkins — The Fire Inside (Amazon MGM Studios)
RaMell Ross, Joslyn Barnes — Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios) (WINNER)
Steve McQueen — Blitz (Apple Original Films)
Titus Kaphar — Exhibiting Forgiveness (Roadside Attractions)
Virgil Williams, Malcolm Washington — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
Outstanding Directing in a Motion Picture
Jeymes Samuel — The Book of Clarence (Sony Pictures)
Malcolm Washington — The Piano Lesson (Netflix)
RaMell Ross — Nickel Boys (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios) (WINNER)
Reinaldo Marcus Green — Bob Marley: One Love (Paramount Pictures)
Steve McQueen — Blitz (Apple Original Films)
Outstanding Society and Culture Podcast
Baby, This is Keke Palmer (Wondery)
Club Shay Shay (Shay Shay Media & The Volume) (WINNER)
Higher Learning with Van Lathan and Rachel Lindsay (The Ringer)
We Don’t Always Agree with Ryan & Sterling (ABF Creative & Indian Meadows Productions)
What Now? with Trevor Noah (Spotify Studios in partnership with Day Zero Productions and Fulwell 73)
Outstanding Sports, Arts and Entertainment Podcast
Naked Sports with Cari Champion (The Black Effect Podcast Network)
Nightcap (Shay Shay Media & The Volume)
Questlove Supreme (iHeartPodcasts)
R&B Money Podcast (R&B Money)
Two Funny Mamas (Mocha Podcasts Network) (WINNER)
