Gratitude and glamour set the tone at the 2023 Critics Choice Awards
Angela Bassett, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and 'Abbott Elementary' were among the night's big winners, building on their awards season momentum.
Sunday may have been Martin Luther King, Jr.’s official birthday, but awards season waits for no one. Just days after gracing the carpet at the 80th Annual Golden Globes, many of Black Hollywood’s finest once again donned their finery for the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
For the second time in the space of a week, “Abbott Elementary” was named Best Comedy, with Sheryl Lee Ralph again nabbing an award for Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series. Similarly, Angela Bassett scored another win for Best Supporting Actress for “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” while Oscar winner Ruth E. Carter took the evening’s prize for Best Costume Design.
Using her acceptance speech to thank “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman for his “love and light surrounding [the cast and crew]” during the making of the sequel, Bassett said: “We couldn’t have made history, then and now, without you.”
As reported by People magazine, Bassett also thanked the “Black actresses with extraordinary talent” who made her own ascension in Hollywood possible, mentioning Ruby Dee, Cicely Tyson, Rosalind Cash, and Diahann Carroll.
“It was their extraordinary work that showed me that there was a place for me in this business of show, especially at a time where Black women weren’t shown in a significant way, oftentimes — not really present on television or the big screen. But thank God for them,” said Bassett.
Sheryl Lee Ralph expressed similar sentiments in her acceptance speech, thanking Sidney Poitier for his encouragement early in her now decades-long career.
“Every mistake, every back-break, every ‘No’; every rejection in an industry that when I was 19 years old was quick to tell me there was no place for me. … Sidney Poitier looked at me and said, ‘You’re a damn good actress,'” Ralph tearfully recalled (h/t People).
Other winners of the night included Zendaya, who scored her second award within a week for Best Actress In A Drama Series for “Euphoria.” Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series went to Giancarlo Esposito for his work in “Better Call Saul,” while Niecy Nash-Betts was awarded Best Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie Made For Television for “Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story.”
“Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” won both Best Comedy and Best Ensemble, but it was leading lady Janelle Monáe who received a special honor during the ceremony. Monáe was the recipient of the seventh annual Critics Choice #SeeHer award, which “honors a woman who advocates for gender equality, portrays characters with authenticity, defies stereotypes and pushes boundaries,” per People.
“I try to make an effort in my work … to highlight the ones who have been pushed to the margins of society, who’ve been outcast or relegated to ‘the other,'” Monáe explained in her acceptance speech, during which she announced her pronouns are “she/her, they/them and free-ass m—f—,” and noted how her queer, non-binary identity continues to inform her work and advocacy.
“So to anyone out there like me watching right now, I just want you to know that I see you — but I challenge you to see you,” Monáe added.
The full list of Critics Choice Award winners is available to view at Variety, but there were winning looks on the ceremony’s red carpet, as well. Check out our gallery below to view all of the night’s Black glamour.
Julius Tennon and Viola Davis attend the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Sheryl Lee Ralph attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Janelle Monáe attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Courtney B. Vance and Angela Bassett attend the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Quinta Brunson attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Danielle Deadwyler attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Kerry Washington attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Thuso Mbedu attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Jessica Betts and Niecy Nash-Betts attend the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Janelle James attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Amber Ruffin attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Dominique Fishback attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Brian Tyree Henry attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Ruth E. Carter attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Giancarlo Esposito attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Jalyn Hall attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Gina Prince-Bythewood attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Jay Ellis attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Ayo Edebiri attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Renée Elise Goldsberry attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Bre-Z attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Gersha Phillips attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Hannah Beachler attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Ismael Cruz- Córdova attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Tramell Tillman attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Greg Tarzan Davis attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Camille Friend attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Shawn Edwards attends the 28th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on January 15, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association)
Maiysha Kai is theGrio’s lifestyle editor, covering all things Black and beautiful. Her work is informed by two decades of experience in fashion and entertainment, great books, and the brilliance of Black culture. She is also the editor-author of Body: Words of Change series.
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