Oprah Winfrey Will be the First Black Woman to Receive the Cecil B. DeMille Award

Two-thirds of the way through the Golden Globe Awards, someone famous presents the Cecil B. DeMille Award to someone arguably more famous, who then gives a big speech that makes people cry or cheer or both. Usually this is a great time to use the restroom, but stick around this year because Oprah Winfrey’s gettin’ that statue.
(For those who have no idea what this award even is, it was that whole bit last year when Viola Davis gave this KILLER speech to introduce Meryl Streep, who won the award and said some stuff about Trump and marginalized communities and whatnot during her speech.)

Advertisement

The Cecil B. DeMille Award is an honorary Golden Globe presented to “a talented individual who has made an incredible impact on the world of entertainment,” according to Deadline—very fitting for Oprah, because my god, what hasn’t she touched in the world of entertainment!? She deserves this award!
The Color Purple! The talk show! Her Favorite Things! That time she gave a brand-new car to everyone in the audience of her aforementioned talk show! Greenleaf, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, A Wrinkle in Time! Yes, Oprah! I love you, Oprah! Oprah, I’m so sorry to interrupt this very exciting news with some that is slightly more depressing:

Winfrey is the fourth black actor to receive the award. Sidney Poitier received the honor in 1982; Freeman in 2012 and Denzel Washington in 2016. Out of 64 recipients of the award, 14 have been women. The 14th being last year’s winner Meryl Streep and the 15th Winfrey.

Diversity in Hollywood, you’re doing great, sweetie. Keep it up.
Setting aside the fact that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association has somehow only found four black people and only one black woman in the history of this award that they feel are fit to receive it, good for Oprah!