Eddie Murphy has been inducted into the NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame – see his acceptance speech below.
The actor was presented the award in a virtual ceremony last night (March 27) by his friend and Coming 2 America co-star Arsenio Hall.
“I’ve been making movies for 40 years now,” Murphy said in his acceptance speech. “This is the perfect thing to commemorate that and be brought into the hall of fame.”
He added that he was “very moved” by the honour, before responding to Hall’s jokes about Murphy’s classic red suit he wore during his Delirious stand-up special.
“And my red suit wasn’t that tight, Arsenio,” Murphy said. “When I was rocking that red suit that shit was fly.”
The hall of fame induction is bestowed upon an individual viewed as a pioneer in their respective field and whose influence has shaped the “profession for generations to come”.
Previous inductees include Oprah Winfrey, Stevie Wonder, Spike Lee, Ray Charles and Sidney Poitier.
The NAACP Image Awards, which recognises works by entertainers and athletes of colour, officially began on Monday (March 22), giving out a set of awards each night, before airing on several TV channels in the US last night.
Hosted by Black-ish actor Anthony Anderson for the eighth consecutive year, the awards also honoured the late Chadwick Boseman, who won Best Actor in a Motion Picture for his role in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.
Simone Ledward Boseman, the actor’s wife, accepted the award on his behalf.
“As always, he would give all honour and glory to the most high God,” she said. “He would thank his mum and dad. And he would give honour to his ancestors, as we now honour him.”
She added: “Thank you NAACP for always giving him his flowers. He was an uncommon artist and an even more uncommon person.”
Elsewhere, British actor Regé-Jean Page took home the award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his role in Netflix drama Bridgerton, while Viola Davis won Best Actress for her film and television roles in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom and How To Get Away With Murder.
To see a full list of the winners, you can visit the official NAACP Image Awards website here.
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