Dave Chappelle made a rare awards show appearance at the 2025 NAACP Image Awards, where the comedian was honored with this year’s President’s Award.
During his speech, he thanked the NAACP for its efforts over its more-than-100-year-history and encouraged his fellow artists to keep working to tell their stories.
Chappelle, who recently won his sixth best comedy album Grammy and has won numerous Emmys in recent years but hasn’t accepted those awards in person, began by explaining why this honor was more important than the others.
“I won a lot of awards recently, but this one tonight is probably the most special award I’ve ever gotten, because it’s from this institution that represents these people, us, people of color, black people,” Chappelle, sporting a suit and tie, said when he took the stage, accepting his honor from NAACP president Derrick Johnson.
He went on to praise the NAACP for its work in Hollywood, to improve how Black people’s stories are represented.
“They have been chipping away at this industry so that people like me can stand up in front of people and tell my story or our stories,” Chappelle said. “Each and every artist in here, every opportunity we get, every time we’re on camera, on stage, we just keep chipping away at this monster of a machine. But tonight, man, tonight, I feel invigorated.”
He went on to joke that his mood was “because all my Netflix checks cleared. I don’t owe anybody any work. Every time you see me, just know I’m only up there because I want to be right up there.”
Addressing the star-studded audience of fellow entertainers, Chappelle encouraged them to keep working in a “very difficult time.”
“I hope all of us who work in this industry feel strong and inspired and not discouraged, especially because this is a very difficult time right now, and your institution is, sadly, more relevant than it’s been in a long time. We got a lot of work to do, but it feels good to know that we’re not in it alone, that we got each other. And remember, community is everything.”
He went on to acknowledge the victims of the recent devastating wildfires that raged across Los Angeles, including not far from the Pasadena awards show in the historic Black community of Altadena.
“Shout out to everybody who lost their home or was displaced from their home, even for a time,” he said. “Don’t ever be afraid to lean on each other. My father taught me a phrase that got me all the way to where I am today. He said, ‘Whenever you mess up or you feel like you can’t get up, you remember these words because they’re magic words: … let’s keep it moving. Y’all, let’s keep it moving.”
Chappelle closed by praising director Stan Lathan, who’s helmed his stand-up specials.
“To be able to do all these comedy specials with you, Stan has been one of the honors of my life,” Chappelle said. “You are a national treasure, and you were one of my heroes, and you were a very great shepherd.”
The 56th NAACP Image Awards, hosted by Deon Cole, took place Saturday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium, with the ceremony airing on BET and CBS at 8 p.m. This year’s show, where Keke Palmer was named entertainer of the year, also honored former Vice President Kamala Harris, the Wayans family and BET Media Group.
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