Dave Chappelle will become the first comedian to receive the President’s Award during the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, which is set to air live from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and CBS. This year, the broadcast will be extended 30 minutes to 2.5 hours.
The President’s Award is presented in recognition of special achievement and distinguished public service. Previous recipients include a wide range of public figures, including six recording stars – Ella Fitzgerald (1967), Ms. Lauryn Hill (1999), John Legend (2016), Jay-Z (2019), Rihanna (2020) and Usher (2024).
“The President’s Award honors an unwavering dedication to community, and throughout his distinguished career, Dave Chappelle has consistently been recognized as a powerful voice of social consciousness,” Derrick Johnson, NAACP president and CEO, said in a statement. “Through his unique ability to transform complex political issues into thought-provoking humor, Dave has solidified his place as one of the most impactful voices of our time. His work sparks conversations that compel people to examine their own beliefs, proving that in an age where open dialogue is increasingly rare, comedy can be both a powerful truth-teller and a driver of progress.”
Chappelle, 51, was the 2019 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. On Feb. 2, he won his sixth Grammy Award for best comedy album, which is just one shy of Bill Cosby’s record seven wins in the category. Chappelle has also received five Primetime Emmy Awards – three for his Netflix comedy specials Equanimity (2018) and Sticks & Stones (2020), and two for hosting Saturday Night Live (2017 and 2021).
By visiting the NAACP Image Awards’ website, the public can vote to determine the winners of the 56th annual event in select categories. NAACP will recognize winners in non-televised categories virtually on Tuesday, Feb. 18, and Wednesday, Feb. 19, on its YouTube channel and at the 56th NAACP Image Awards Creative Honors Friday, Feb. 21.
BET Media Group, NAACP, JSSK (Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole, a media and entertainment law firm) and the WME entertainment agency have partnered with L.A. County to launch the Altadena Community Preservation Fund to support the recovery of historically Black neighborhoods impacted by the Eaton Fire. This effort, a collaboration with local community organizations such as Community Aid Dena, Altadena Heritage and WalkGood L.A., is aimed at protecting homeowners from displacement and preserving the community’s cultural heritage.
