Deon Cole earnt some laughs at the expense of notable personalities at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards. His monologue targeted Kanye West for his controversial swastika t-shirt publicized on his Yeezy website and a plea for his wife, Bianca Censori, to be more modest, concurrently mocking the political sphere dominated by the Biden-Harris administration. Seemingly incapable of escaping the public eye, West and Censori were the subjects of numerous comments, despite not attending the awards ceremony that night.
Setting the tone for the evening, Cole opened the awards with humor-infused commentary aimed at Kanye West, formerly recognized by the audience for his musical contribution, who has since ended up designing distasteful clothing items. Smiling, Cole interlaced his banter with faux-prayers, subtly mocking West’s unusual phase of self-proclaimed religiosity. Mimicking concern, he asked the crowd to ‘cover our brother Kanye… and his wife too.’
The irony was not lost on attendees when reports surfaced that West and Censori were spotted at another event that same evening; a film showcasing Censori in rather revealing fashion opposed to Cole’s comedic pleas for modesty. The confusion heightening when Censori appeared on the red carpet dressed in a completely covered up ensemble, contrary to her usual scantily-clad presence.
While the focus of the evening swayed between jest and seriousness back at the NAACP, attention eventually turned towards the political realm. Vice President Kamala Harris made an appearance on television, the first since she and Joe Biden conceded the election to Donald Trump. She was there to accept the Chairman’s Award, launching into a speech that predictably cited the NAACP’s roots and idealistically implied the continued struggle against ‘greed, bitterness, and hatred.’
Adopting a serious tone, she cryptically alluded to prescient difficulties facing America in 2025 during the initial phase of Trump’s second term. Brandishing their season of defeat as a period of resilience, she challenged the crowd with weighty rhetorics about the uncertain future and her purported plans to combat them.
Her speech could be interpreted as a rallying cry for unity and strength, but it was hard to ignore the undertone of defeat. She was quick to remind everyone of their shared responsibility to utilize education and other common platforms to amplify their voices. ‘Our power has never come from having an easy path,’ she declared, but the effectiveness of her sentiment was overshadowed by the reminder of their recent failure.
Harris wrapped up her lackluster appearance with an uninspiring attempt to inspire the audience by referring to faith and resilience against ‘cynicism and destruction,’ philosophies which did not prove successful during her era in office. Consistent with the failed narrative of her administration, her statement that history is written by ‘ordinary American citizens’ fell flat, as this particular administration overwhelmingly failed to resonate with ordinary American citizens.
The lukewarm reception to Harris’ speech set the stage for Dave Chappelle to claim the NAACP’s President’s Award, an audience that he navigated with far more skill and authenticity. Remarkably, Chappelle managed to frame similar topics with honesty and humility that was absent from Harris’ speech, making it a personal highlight of the evening.
With his comic charm, Chappelle lauded the contributions made by NAACP towards painting a true portrayal of African Americans, observing the influence it has had on artists like himself. Universally loved comedian like Chappelle delivering insightful narrative proclaims the relevance of the institution more convincingly than the political rhetoric speculated by the likes of Harris.
His speech danced between humor and reality, eventually touching upon the difficulties faced by the industry in the present moment, yet managing to leave a trace of optimism. ‘It feels good to know that we’re not in it alone, that we got each other,’ he voiced, underscoring the sense of community noticeably absent from Harris’ soliloquy.
In an evening riddled with mixed emotions and controversial commentary, Dave Chappelle provided a beacon of light. Using sincerity, wit, and profound insight, he elegantly echoed the sentiment that in the face of adversity and upheaval, the concept of community is everything.
Wrapping up his address, Chappelle shared an anecdote from his father, eliciting yet another wave of laughter from the audience. Indeed, turning adversity into optimism through humor can serve as a powerful healing agent, an element starkly lacking in the preceding political discourse.
The evening ended with Chappelle’s closing comment, a simple, powerful mantra – ‘Whoops, let’s keep it moving.’ A humble and concise reminder to his audience that even when things go wrong, humor and persistence can keep us going, a final dig at the recent political issues that gathered much less applause.