Viola Davis Gets Regal During NAACP Image Awards Speech: 'Our Crown Has Already Been Bought, All We Have to Do Is Wear It'

The EGOT winner was honored with the prestigious Chairman’s Award during the annual event

NEED TO KNOW

• Viola Davis gave an inspirational speech during the 2026 NAACP Image Awards on Feb. 28
• The EGOT winner was honored with the prestigious Chairman’s Award at the annual event
• “Our crown has already been bought and paid for, all we have to do is wear it,” Davis said

Viola Davis gave a speech fit for a queen during the 2026 NAACP Image Awards.

The actress, 60, was honored with the prestigious Chairman’s Award during the annual event on Saturday, Feb. 28.

Davis began her acceptance speech with humble remarks, saying, "I always feel like I’m going to step into feeling like I deserve it."

She then reflected on her upbringing, describing herself as a “little chocolate girl with thick lips and wide nose in Rhode Island in 1965" who "didn’t see hope" and "didn’t see dreams."

"I just wanted to be somebody. I wanted success because I thought it was significance. And no one can describe the journey of going from the little chocolate girl searching for hope, searching for God, and the girl living a transcendent life," she continued.

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Davis subsequently described her path as "a hero’s journey" and spoke about the importance of working together. "There is no man behind the curtain who has control over your life," she said.

The EGOT winner also gave some regal advice, telling audience members before her: "Our crown has already been bought and paid for, all we have to do is wear it."

Davis later included shoutouts to “the people that we forget, the people that we don’t think about, the work that we don’t want to do" in her acceptance speech.

Sharing praise for some specific individuals — including “the people working at the food pantry in Central Falls, feeding 3,000 people a month, the people who are caring for my mother, who’s in advanced dementia" — the actress concluded, "You are my hero. I see you. Thank you."

The NAACP Image Awards are presented by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor the best of the best in film, television, theatre, music, literature and more.

Other honorees during the 2026 ceremony included Colman Domingo, who received the President’s Award, and Salt-N-Pepa and DJ Spinderella, who were inducted into the NAACP Image Awards’ Hall of Fame.

Virtual ceremonies aired earlier in the week, where various awards were handed out to a slew of stars.

Kendrick Lamar’s Super Bowl halftime show and Michelle Obama were among the winners on night one.

SZA and Cardi B scored awards during night two of the virtual ceremony, and Sinners, Ironheart and Celebrity Family Feud were among the winners on night three.

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