If you’re interested in current news and the latest black celeb gossip, there are many avenues today to find current celebrity news and the latest Hollywood gossip in black entertainment news. This wasn’t always the case, however. Black celebrities have made history and broken records, making black celebrity news an irreplaceable part of all the current news in Hollywood. Here’s a look at some of the biggest ground-breaking entertainers.
Will Smith
Today, Smith is one of televisions most highly-paid actors. Almost every film he’s made has grossed over $100 million.
Phylicia Rashad
First making a name for herself as Claire on The Cosby Show, Rashad later became the first black women to win a Best Actress Tony in 2004 for her part the Broadway adaptation of A Raisin in the Sun.
Tony Dungy
Tony Dungy became America’s first African-American NFL head coach to win a Super Bowl in 2007. That year he led the Indianapolis Colts to victory over the Chicago Bears.
Denzel Washington
Washington has won two Oscars and is only the second black actor in history to win an Academy Award (Sidney Poitier won the first, in 1963).
Oprah Winfrey
Winfrey is a household name due to her wildly successful show, which aired for 25 seasons. At its height, the show aired on 120 channels and had an audience of 10 million. At the end of the show’s first year, it had made Winfrey $30 million.
Beyonce and Jay-Z
One of the most successful singers in history, Beyonce has a net worth of $450 million and is the most Grammy-Award nominated female artist ever. Jay-Z, meanwhile, is worth $650 million and has beaten out Elvis Presley for the most number one albums by a solo artist.
Audra McDonald
When she won Best Actress for her part in Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill, McDonald became not just the first black women, but the first woman of any race to receive six Tony Awards.
Simone Biles
Biles was 17 years old when she became the first black person to be named World All-Around Champion in gymnastics. She is only the sixth woman in history to win back-to-back titles in World Championship all-around gymnastics, and the second American to do so.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs
Isaacs was elected president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2013. She is the first black person and third woman to be named the president of the body that gives out Oscars.
Quvenzhané Wallis
In 2013, Wallis was only nine years old when she was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar. She is the youngest person ever to be nominated for the award.
Black Entertainment Television (BET) is now seen in 90 million homes across the world, and by 2010 was the leading provider of entertainment programming and current news based on black American culture and celebrities. With talented African-Americans leading the way throughout the entertainment world, things are changing; and it’s about time.
