NAACP Image Awards Behind The Scenes: Winners Talk To Radio One Exclusively Backstage

The NAACP Image Awards wrapped this weekend with Usher being honored with the President’s Award for Entertainer of the Year. Oprah Winfrey made a surprise appearance to present the honor.

The singer paid tribute to the women in his life.

“They say behind or beside or with every strong man is a stronger woman, and for that I thank my mother and I thank my beautiful wife, Jennifer, for holding me down,” he said, before giving a nod to his kids and his late grandmother, Ernestine Carter.

“My kids, I love you guys so, so much, I hope that I’m an example, I’m a dad who’s just trying to get it right every day,” Usher said.

Usher then went on to thank his mother (who was his manager at the start of his career).

Taraji P. Henson won big for “The Color Purple”. During her acceptance speech, she took the opportunity to thank those who stood by her during the press tour for the movie when she initially called out the pay inequality that exists in Hollywood.

“I just want to thank you guys so much for showing up for me all the time, not just to the box office or watching what I’m in but y’all saw what happened and y’all showed up, you showed out, you showed me love,” Henson said during her speech. “It’s a scary thing to speak your truth but I urge you all to speak your truth because at the end of the day that’s all we have.”

Queen Latifah, who hosted the Awards show, cosigned saying “Thank you for standing up for all of us.”

Radio/TV personality Jazmyn Summers chopped it up backstage for Radio One with some of the winners, nominees and folks who just came to celebrate.

Sherri Shepherd, the popular host of the Emmy Award-winning “Sherri’ show, was beaten out of the Outstanding Talk Series award by Jennifer Hudson but won for Outstanding Host. She tells Radio One that she has new movies and TV shows coming up including “Harlem”, and “Sex Life of College Girls” but most importantly:

“I’m the mom of a 18 year old so we’re going to visit colleges.  He wants to be an influencer.  I just want to get him off these video games,” she joked.

She refused to comment on the controversial situation of her predecessor Wendy Williams who is being held by her legal guardian in an undisclosed location and not allowed to be in contact with her son or other family members.

Garcelle Beauvais was nominated  for outstanding guest performance on “Survival of the Thickest” and the film she starred in and executive produced “Black Girl Missing” :

“It was a passion heart project for me to make sure that when Black and Brown people go missing they get the same attention, “she revealed.

As for the drama between her and “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” castmate Dorit Kemsley, she says she just “can’t deal with microaggressions” and doesn’t see them ever being friends. Beauvais is the only nonwhite cast member.

Radio One also caught up with legend Bobby Brown who won the Hall of Fame Award with New Edition.

“We’re being honored by our people which means everything. This is a highlight of my career, but the highlight of my life is my children, “he commented.

The cast of Tyler Perry’s “Sistas” was in the building.

Newly married KJ Smith who plays Andrea Barnes and Skyh Alvester Black, whose role as the sexy stripper Amp  “Addiction” Anthony on All the Queens Men brings the heat,  gushed about their love.

“Theoretically I got married late so what was extra special for me was that my journey was not just for me it was to share with other women who are on the journey now and encourage them to continue until they find their soulmate,” shares KJ. “I realized I had to get out of my own way. What I love most about Skyh is his confidence and how he walks with God,.”

Skyh added:

“Our love is so special because there’s this myth that Black men cheat but it’s not about the many, it’s about the one.  It feels great to have someone who nurtures you, who knows you inside and out and you do the same and you all are locked into one heart.”

Chido Nwokocha, who plays the hated Gary on the show, didn’t want to say if the rumors that he “could put it down” were true but he says he is “very single” and is urging interested young ladies to slide in his DMs.  He says he’s looking for someone with character and a sweet soul.

Nwokocha says people too often think he is the character:

“I get a lot of hate when I go in the public. I get a little side-eye. People be coming for me in my DMS, on social, everywhere. “

Novi Brown, Sabrina on Sistas, says the show is groundbreaking.

“Seeing Black womanhood and sisterhood is very important and to see it at different levels with different nuances and in different seasons is truly important,” Brown said. “What we love is you get to see these women grow, stretch, fall, make mistakes, recover but they still love each other which we all need because baby life be lifin.’”

Devale Ellis is Zac on Sistas and the spin-off Zatima.

“The most important part of Zatima is understanding the process of going through a relationship,” Ellis said. “On television, we mostly see fairy tales. We see the ending without seeing people going through the hardships but Zatima goes through hardships. Zac is dealing with recidivism, he’s been in and out of prison, he has a lot of trauma because of his mom. He doesn’t know how to deal with a strong powerful woman like Fatima. We watch then work with each other to love on each other.”

Veteran actor Wendell Pierce was nominated for his role in Tom Clancy’s “Jack Ryan” and noted the unique role of the NAACP for our people.

“The NAACP for over 100 years is the premier organization to protect Black lives using their collective power, socially, politically, fiscally to protect our community.”

And he spilled some tea on his next role.

“I play Perry White editor of the Daily Planet in Superman so I will be Lois Lane’s, Clark Kent’s and little Jimmy Olsen’s boss. I like a Black man being the boss,” he disclosed.

Nicco Annan hopes his upcoming docuseries “Down in the Valley” will be a winner next year. The six-episode series will explore the people, music, culture and stories of the South, featuring everything from strip clubs to sex workshops, rap performances and hoodoo rituals. He was decked out in a black Dolce Gabbana suit and shares wassup with the new show:

“You get to go into the real world that influences the fictitious world of P Valley.  But one thing I’m happy about in my career is that I’m trying not to give you oversaturation of Nicco but just enough because when you taste me it’s a lot.”

Amin Joseph of “Snowfall,” whose colleague Damson Idris won for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, commented that the show has a particular significance for our culture:

“It’s one of the last chapters in the legacy of John Singleton.  One of the constant things he always made films unapologetic unabashed and about his people.”

BET also premiered a sneak peek of their new show “Diarra of Detroit” after the awards. The show drops on Thursday.

“It’s a story about a woman who is recently divorced so she goes on a hot date and he ghosts her but she doesn’t feel that he ghosted her.  She thinks he was probably kidnapped so it’s a great mystery. Was she ghosted or was he kidnapped?” reveals its star Diarra Kilpatrick.

Watch more interviews and the whole conversations in the video below.

See the full list of winners below:

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