Award Shows June 24, 2021
Taraji P. Henson on Hosting the BET Awards: ‘We Are Lifting Up the Black Woman’
Taraji P. Henson is getting ready for a big weekend! Friday night, the star is up for a Daytime Emmy, Sunday night she is hosting the BET Awards, and right now she is talking to “Extra’s” Cheslie Kryst!
Taraji is changing it up for this show after hosting the American Music Awards, saying, “Oh, BET is going to be different… I love my entrance. I love the entrance, I love… what we're celebrating. We're lifting up the Black woman — this is the year of the Black woman. I mean, we've done some incredible things to change the course of history. And I'm just excited. I mean, you know, it’s culture’s biggest night, guys. They have me as the host, like, I'm just honored — I'm beyond honored.”
What is Taraji most excited about? Queen Latifah receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award!
“That's the part of the show that I'm most excited to see because, you know, they're going to… dig back into her catalog… Some people only know her as an actress, they don’t know she was a hip hop artist and flipped it… I'm just so happy that we're giving her this honor. I mean, it’s long overdue.”
There will be some, too, but she isn’t spilling the tea on those! “I can't or it won’t be a surprise,” she said.
We do know there will be a ton of performances and star power. “I'm very proud of my baby girl Megan Thee Stallion. You know, her and Da Baby, they lead the night in nominations, they have seven… and my girl Cardi B is ranked right behind with six, and you got Anderson.Paak and Bruno Mars… The night's best talent will be on that BET stage with me.”
She could soon take home a Daytime Emmy for her groundbreaking Facebook Watch series “Peace of Mind With Taraji,” on which she takes on mental health. She explained, “I didn't do that for any kind of vanity for anything, that's literally a passion of mine. I just don't want Black and brown people suffering. You know, I want them to feel okay… That is something from my heart, like, I wasn't doing it for any kind of accolades. This is just help, help for the people… It helps me sleep at night, you know, be recognized… It's just such an honor and I'm just grateful and blessed and just grateful.”
The Academy Award-nominated actress will also play Miss Hannigan on NBC’s live “Annie.” She said, “I guess I must feel like Heath Ledger, may he rest in peace, must have felt when he got the Joker role… I’m such a huge fan of the show and an even bigger fan of Carol Burnett… She made me laugh when I lived in the hood… That was my escapism, so I’m really honored, ‘cause she made that role… I love a good challenge, and this is a great one.”
