BET has announced that Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe winning actor, filmmaker and philanthropist Taraji P. Henson will host the 2021 “BET AWARDS”.
The organisers in a statement issued on Tuesday also revealed that Grammy award-winning musician, critically acclaimed Golden Globe winning and Academy Award nominated actor Queen Latifah will be honoured with the Lifetime Achievement BET Award.
“The 2021 BET Awards theme, The year of Black Women, is a celebration to honour trailblazing black women across the globe,” said Monde Twala, SVP at BET International. “Now in its twenty-first year, the BET AWARDS continues its reign as the platform to showcase black female excellence and shine a light on culture as the driving force for social change.”
“Black women have been essential drivers of change throughout history, from the political sphere to the cultural zeitgeist,” said Connie Orlando, EVP Specials, Music Programming & Music Strategy at BET. “The BET AWARDS is the ultimate celebration of Black culture, and we are looking forward to spotlighting and celebrating Black women during this year’s show, recognizing them for everything they’ve accomplished and applauding them for what’s to come.”
Taraji P. Henson most recently wrapped her iconic run as “Cookie Lyon” on Fox’s hit musical drama EMPIRE, which has earned her three Emmy nominations, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics Choice Award, and three BET Awards. She portrayed NASA mathematician Katherine G. Johnson in the Academy Award nominated film HIDDEN FIGURES, as well as lent her voice to Disney’s RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET: WRECK-IT RALPH 2.
In 2018, she launched the Boris Lawrence Henson Foundation in honour of her late father. The organisation provides scholarships to African-American students majoring in mental health disciplines, offers mental health services to youth in urban schools, and works to lower the recidivism rates of African-American men and women.
Henson, along with her best friend and foundation partner, Tracie Jade, recently co-hosted the Facebook Watch series on mental health called PEACE OF MIND WITH TARAJI, for which they received a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for “Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host.”
Additionally, the “BET AWARDS” will be honouring Queen Latifah with this year’s Lifetime Achievement BET Award.
Latifah has had amazing success since her career began in Hollywood and became the first hip-hop artist to be crowned with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006.
She received rave reviews, industry recognition, and accolades for her roles in feature musical CHICAGO and cable films LIFE SUPPORT and BESSIE, which she also produced. Additionally, Latifah starred in the hit comedy GIRLS TRIP and has also taken to the stage and small screen as the title character in the television musical, THE WIZ LIVE!.
