2025 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Awards: Recap And Photos

The 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards is the premier celebration of Black women at a time when it’s desperately needed.

The 18th annual celebration was held at Los Angeles’ Fairmont Century Plaza on Thursday (Feb. 27), hosted by Cross star Aldis Hodge. This year’s honorees included Cynthia Erivo, Teyana Taylor, Marla Gibbs, and Raamla Mohamed. Tyra Banks was also given the inaugural ESSENCE Luminary Spotlight, which “recognizes her journey of resilience, longevity, and significant impact on the industry.” In her acceptance speech, Banks addressed her commitment to evolving and creating new opportunities to expand visual storytelling for Black women.

The illustrious affair featured attendees such as Skye Townsend, Danielle Pinnock, Loretta Devine, Taraji P. Henson, Zoë Kravitz, Tyla, Lori Harvey, Natasha Rothwell, Coco Jones, Meagan Good, Tia Mowry, Jodie Turner-Smith, former honoree Danielle Brooks, and more. Joy Reid surprised guests, and after a round of applause, she quipped that she’d just experienced a “break-up” in reference to her departure from MSNBC. Reid then spoke about the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion within storytelling and society.

Each honoree’s award was presented by someone special who highlighted key moments from their respective careers: Issa Rae (Raamla Mohamed), Niecy Nash-Betts (Teyana Taylor), Keke Palmer (Cynthia Erivo), and Tichina Arnold (Marla Gibbs). Gibbs’ daughter, Angela, accepted the award on her behalf.

Jotaka Eaddy, founder of Win With Black Women, also led a tribute for those affected by the Los Angeles wildfires and celebrated the residents of Altadena and Pasadena, Calif.

The 2025 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood pre-show will premiere on ESSENCE’s YouTube channel this Monday, Mar. 3, at 7 p.m. ET, with the ceremony to follow. In the meantime, check out more unforgettable moments and red carpet photos below.