During the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, host Deon Cole seized the opportunity to lampoon musician Kanye West and his spouse Bianca Censori. In light of West’s controversial adoption of swastika-laden attire, Cole used humor as a veil to question the couple’s decisions. West, once adored for his music, now employed symbols of hate generating questionable amusement. His wife Censori, notably known for her lack of clothing, became the butt of Cole’s joke, as he jested about her urgent need for modesty.
Parallel to the NAACP Image Awards, West and Censori were engrossed in their own performance. Censori allegedly starred in a film concentrated on the exploration of the female physique. Contrary to her usual scantily clad appearances, she opted for a more conservative outfit resembling a nun’s habit. Despite this unusual twist, spectators still got a glimpse of her infamous figure through the course of the event.
Back at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, serious issues were being addressed while former Vice President Kamala Harris gave her first televised speech after President Donald Trump trumped her in the election. Harris attempted to evoke sentiments by reflecting on NAACP’s inception during a period rife with greed, bitterness, and hatred. She spoke about the founders’ perseverance and delved into hope-filled predictions for a stony future.
With 2025 witnessing Trump’s second term, Harris seemed eager to inspire change in a society dominated by shadows cast over democracy and the environmental crisis, including wildfires and rising sea levels. Though projecting an air of determination, her words echoed a desperate cry for direction, with the now seemingly rhetorical question, ‘What do we do now?’
Poorly trying to mask her discontent with Trump’s governance, Harris insisted on the importance of education, grassroots organizations and mobilization. She urged people to reject cynicism and destruction and embrace an uphill battle to change, a defeatist tone underpinning her hopeful words.
In her speech, Harris continued to take refuge in clichés, talking about how history is written not by the powers that be but by ordinary citizens. Her wholehearted belief in the power of the common citizen seemed out of touch, considering the reality that governmental and corporate decisions overwhelmingly shape modern society.
Her words were predictably met with fleeting applause, as comedian Dave Chappelle took the stage soon after. Chappelle accepted the organization’s President’s Award, emphasizing the significance of the award as it came from an institution representing people of color, a sentiment that appeared a tad self-congratulatory.
Chappelle expounded on the historical misrepresentation of African-Americans in the 1915 film ‘Birth of a Nation’ and the subsequent opening of the first NAACP Hollywood office in 1927. He took this narrative and contended that the slow progress made so far was due to the incessant work of organizations like the NAACP.
He used the platform to emphasize the importance of diverse storytelling – a noble sentiment marred by an ensuing joke about monetary wealth. While the audience appreciated his humor, it was a stark reminder of the economic disparities existing within the industry.
Shifting gears, Chappelle urged everyone in the industry to remain resilient and motivated despite the challenging times. He rehashed the worn-out notion that community is pivotal, trying to rally his peers to face the demanding journey together.
He further drove his point home by touching lightly on the widespread wildfires and subsequent devastation faced by countless families. He concluded his speech with advice his father once shared, a platitude meant to provide solace: ‘When you stumble, pick yourself up and move on.’
Despite Chappelle’s efforts to inspire, his speech was overshadowed by the fresh mark of his comedy. Just another night at the NAACP Image Awards, where the humor provided temporary distraction from the ongoing hardships faced by the attendees and their communities.