Mariah Carey, Don Cheadle, Eddie Murphy and more will be among the honorees at the second annual Byron Allen Presents theGrio Awards airing Nov. 25 on CBS.
The star-studded black-tie event, which will be co-hosted by Sheryl Underwood and Roy Wood, Jr., will air 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network and simulcast live on Paramount+ for premium subscribers via the live feed of their local CBS affiliate.
The special will celebrate excellence in film, music, comedy, television, sports, philanthropy, business, fashion, social justice, environmental justice, education, and the cultural icons and innovators whose many contributions positively impact America.
“I created ‘theGrio Awards’ to celebrate and amplify African-American excellence and the incredible champions from other communities who truly support us,” Allen Meida group founder, chairman and CEO Byron Allen said in a statement. “As a child, strong, positive African-American icons such as Berry Gordy, Jr., Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali and Martin Luther King, Jr. helped me see myself differently, and changed the trajectory of my life. Celebrating and amplifying iconic individuals is something we can never do enough of, especially for our children.”
Carey will be the recipient of the Music Icon award, while Cheadle will be given the Environmental Champion Icon award and Murphy will be given the Icon award.
Other honorees at this year’s ceremony include Misty Copeland (The Trailblazer Icon Award), Doctor Kizzmekia S Corbett-Helaire (The Science Icon Award), Tamron Hall (The Journalism Icon Award), Kevin Hart (The Comedy Icon Award), Steve Harvey (The Television Icon Award), Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (The Inspirational Icon Award), The Reverend Al Sharpton (The Justice Icon Award), and Denzel Washington (The Film Icon Award).
The event will also feature musical performances by Boyz II Men, Jennifer Hudson, Coco Jones, Patti LaBelle and Smokey Robinson. Greg Phillinganes serves as musical director and DJ Kiss is the D.J. for the awards special.
TheGrio Awards is co-produced by Allen Media Group and Backhand Productions, with Allen, Carolyn Folks, Jennifer Lucas, Jeff Atlas, and Michelle Willrich serving as executive producers.
