The 52nd annual NAACP Image Awards will present its main ceremony live Saturday at 8 p.m. ET/7 CT on BET, with the show to simulcast on fellow ViacomCBS outlets BET Her, Comedy Central, Logo, MTV, MTV2, Paramount, Pop, Smithsonian, TV Land, VH1, BET Pluto, CMT and for the first time CBS.
The two-hour show will be hosted by Black-ish star Anthony Anderson, who won the Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series category earlier this week as part of a five-day blitz that saw the organization hand out awards in more than 70 categories honoring the accomplishments of people of color across the fields of film, TV, music, literature and social justice in voting by the public.
Tonight’s show will showcase the winners the remaining categories including Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Actress and Outstanding Motion Picture, as well as for the the marquee Entertainer of the Year award which this year features nominees D-Nice, Regina King, Trevor Noah, Tyler Perry and Viola Davis. The Image Awards will also bestow a new Social Impact honor, with April Ryan, Debbie Allen, James, Stacey Abrams and Tamika Mallory the inaugural nominees.
Along with the competitive awards come the honorary ones, with tonight’s show featuring tributes to Eddie Murphy (the Hall of Fame Award, to be presented by Arsenio Hall) and NBA star LeBron James (Presidents Award) among others.
Also scheduled to appear during the telecast are Alicia Keys, Andra Day, Cynthia Erivo, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Michelle Obama, Misty Copeland, King, Samuel L. Jackson, the cast of Tyler Perry’s Sistas, Swizz Beatz and Tracy Morgan. Jazmine Sullivan and Maxwell will perform during the show.
After tonight’s ceremony, BET will air a post-gala afterparty featuring DJ Questlove, DJ Kiss and a Jazz Lounge performance by Robert Glasper and Lalah Hathaway.