What you didn’t see at theGrio Awards
The second annual "Byron Allen Presents theGrio Awards," filmed in October, featured the brightest stars in Black entertainment. The show re-airs Saturday and again next week.
Last fall, “Byron Allen Presents theGrio Awards” returned to Los Angeles for the second year, once again bringing together some of the biggest Black names in entertainment. At the Beverly Hilton, industry stars such as Eddie Murphy, Mariah Carey, Denzel Washington, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Don Cheadle and others were among the honorees of the night, getting their much-deserved flowers in a one-of-a-kind ceremony set to re-air this weekend and again next week.
From right in the middle of the action at the October-filmed festivities, theGrio witnessed some cool celebrity interactions, exchanges and other instances you may not have been able to catch when viewing the event at home when it aired on CBS just over a month later, on Saturday, Nov. 25.
We’re breaking down our favorite unseen moments from the 2023 theGrio Awards.
Mariah Carey took it all in
Our Music Icon of the night was none other than “Mimi” herself: Mariah Carey. Stars like Jennifer Hudson, Boyz II Men, CoCo Jones and the incomparable Patti LaBelle took to the stage to pay tribute to the “We Belong Together” songstress.
While the television broadcast cut to Carey from time to time during the performances, we got a firsthand look at the “Vision of Love” singer’s reactions. Seated right in the front of the ballroom, Carey was beaming ear to ear, often clapping and cheering on the performers, and each time giving a full standing ovation for the performers tackling her impressive catalog.
Tiffany Haddish lived it up
Comedian Tiffany Haddish was an attendee of the awards, but she filled another role throughout the evening: Unofficial hype man for all of the honorees. The “Girls Trip” star was out of her seat for much of the show, milling about and cheering on her fellow celebrities as they took to the stage to receive their awards. Her heightened energy and signature Haddish flair helped shake up the stuffy energy often felt at taped awards ceremonies, setting a more jovial and familial tone for those in the room.
Entertainment
Denzel’s emotional moment
Academy Award winner Denzel Washington was another one of our honorees, taking to the stage to accept the Film Icon prize. After giving a brief yet powerful acceptance speech, he left the stage to enormous applause from those attending. As we witnessed backstage, Washington’s speech was shorter than usual, as he was overcome with emotion as he exited the stage.
“Byron Allen Presents theGrio Awards” re-airs Saturday, Feb 3, on CBS at 8 p.m. and on Friday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. on theGrio TV.
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