The Oscars 2024 might not be until Sunday, but it’s clear Danielle Brooks is already a winner.
At Thursday afternoon’s Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards, all eyes were on Brooks as she accepted her award honoring her body of work as well as her Oscar nomination for her role in the musical adaptation of The Color Purple. Dressed like a golden statuette, wearing a shimmering Herve Leger gown and goddess halo crown, Brooks expressed nothing but gratitude.
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“It’s so amazing,” Brooks told Vanity Fair on the red carpet ahead of the event. “There’s so many beautiful men and women inside this space, and especially today — I’m not going to cry — but my mom is here. So it’s really special.”
It was a special event for the audience, too, when Brooks broke out in song while accepting her award. “I feel the stirring in my spirit, I feel excitement, I feel rejuvenated, I feel inspired, and I know it’s because…the essence of Black women in this space that makes me feel that way…and the same feeling that I got, at a good church service,” the Orange is the New Black alum told the audience before singing the gospel tune “I Won’t Complain.” Brooks brought the room to its feet with a thunderous standing ovation complete with swoons and cheers — a truly spiritual moment.
Held a few days before the Oscars, the annual awards luncheon celebrates the top talents of color within the industry and honors some of the year’s most influential figures. Along with Brooks, this year’s Essence event, hosted by Method Man, honored All American screenwriter and showrunner Nkechi Okoro Carroll, Starz executive Kathryn Busby, and another Color Purple star and one half of the singing duo Chloe + Halle, Halle Bailey.
From compliments on work and fashion, to red carpet dance videos and conversations about hair textures and products, the camaraderie was unlike any other award show. Zendaya, with her hair in a sleek bob, was accompanied by her stylist and close friend Law Roach. She sweetly returned compliments by yelling “you look amazing” to peers on the carpet, while Yvonne Orji joked around with Aldis Hodge and Bailey walked hand-in-hand with her sister, stopping to give hugs and take photos along the way.
“I used to interview a lot of people here, so I think that’s what’s really cool about being a talk show host for seven years,” said Tamera Mowry-Housley, pointing to Brooks, who was standing next to her. “It’s always nice to see talent that you love,” said while pointing to Brooks, who stood next to her on the carpet. “I’ve known her for some time and I’m very, very happy for her.”
Inside the awards, which also brought out big names like Normani, Anthony Anderson, and Tina Knowles, selfies with the Bailey sisters continued while Wendell Pierce, Boris Kodjoe and Hill Harper gathered for a boys photo. At a table near the stage, MJ Rodgriuez was spotted giggling with Amber Wiley and in another part of the room, Letita Wright and BMF star Da’Vinci, both in green ensembles, hugged after passing each other in the crowd.
On the elevator up to the rooftop event, Chloe Bailey was overheard telling her honoree little sister, “I love my sister so much and I’m so proud.” The “How Does It Feel” singer then kicked off the luncheon by presenting The Little Mermaid star with her Essence award in a moving speech that had both event attendees and the new mom in tears.
“Halle, my beautiful sister, I am so proud to be able to stand next to you, by your side as you soar to new heights. Not only as an entertainer and a sister, but as a friend, a daughter, and your new favorite title: a mother,” Chloe said. “I’m also so very proud to honor you and all that you’ve achieved on your career journey, and the best part of it all, they ain’t seen nothing yet.”
It was an emotional moment when Halle walked onto the stage to accept her award, embracing her sister and unsuccessfully holding back tears.
“What a beautiful room to be in I look out into your faces and I see myself and that for me is really proud moment,” Halle began in a nearly 6-minute speech, in which she addressed the trials and tribulations of being a Black woman in Hollywood, from the constant criticism to the unfair treatment “not because you’re a bad actor or you’ve given a horrible performance, but just because you look like you do.”
The star went on to say that her ground-breaking role as Ariel in The Little Mermaid was the chance to be a “positive influence for the next generation,” and the lessons she learned from the immense spotlight of the Disney role, she took with her her most important role: being a mother to her son, Halo.
“Thank you to some of the strong women in my life, like my beautiful sister standing on stage with me, setting an example of resilience, confidence, and independence,” she continued. “Thank you to Beyoncé and Ms. Tina Knowles. Thank you for taking a chance on two young girls. Thank you to all the women in my family.”
In the spirit of International Women’s Day, there was a lot of love for mothers at the event.
“I’m really thinking about my mother today. My mother, my great grandmother…we were able to say who were as indigenous people, who were as Black people, so I’m proud to be standing here today and making my mama proud,” True Detective star Kali Reis told Vanity Fair on the red carpet.
Attempting to hold back tears, Brooks also named her mother as one of the main inspirational women in her life. But her ultimate inspiration and driving force for her career? Herself.
“I’m very proud of myself,” Brooks said. “I feel like sometimes we’ve got to put ourselves in that hat too when we talk about who’s inspired us. I’ve inspired myself to keep going. You know? When you really go back in your journey and you go ‘Oh, I didn’t handle that well that time, but I’m going to give myself another time to handle it the way I would have liked to. To show up and have the character that I know I want to present to the world and that I know that’s inside of me — I’m going to show up with that. And when you do that, you can be proud of yourself.”
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