Ava DuVernay
-
Wendell Pierce, Spike Lee, Ava DuVernay and More Pay Tribute to Beloved Actor Michael K. Williams
The Wire and Lovecraft Country star was found dead in his Brooklyn home on Monday at age 54.
-
Groundbreaking Costume Designer Zerina Akers Scores an Emmy for Beyoncé’s Black Is King
The longtime style curator and creator of Black Owned Everything can now add Emmy winner to her extensive resumé.
-
Man Who Is Not LeVar Burton and Artist Formerly Known as Blossom Named Permanent Hosts of Jeopardy!
The long-running primetime game show auditioned a myriad of celebrities and personalities for over seven months before settling on the two hosts.
-
Ava Duvernay’s ARRAY Receives Prestigious Peabody Institutional Award
The film distribution and resource collective has been changing the cinematic landscape for the last 10 years.
-
'Not Only Did They Try to Bury Me, but I Was a Seed': Yusef Salaam Is Better, Not Bitter
“This is not just a story about my life, but this is a story about being Black in America.” — Yusef Salaam, Author, Activist text “The worse thing to happen to us should not define us,” said Yusef Salaam. The 46-year-old sounded like a sage, as he sat proudly in a tall chair during our…
-
Ava DuVernay Receives Honorary Doctorate from Yale—and Yes, Her Mom Is Now Calling Her 'Dr. DuVernay'
Acclaimed filmmaker Ava DuVernay once helmed a film about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.—and now she can add a similar honorific to her name. Esteemed Ivy League institution Yale University recently named this year’s honorary doctorate degree recipients and Ava is one of them! The award-winning director (Selma, 13th, When They See Us) has now…
-
2021 Webby Awards: We Did It, Y'all! Plus, NAACP Presents Yara Shahidi With 1st-Ever Advocate of the Year Award
You were rooting for us! You were all rooting for us! And…it paid off! The winners of the 25th Annual Webby Awards have been announced! Yes, I’m about to present all of this Leo energy and make us at The Root the lede award announcement here. The votes are in—The Root’s “Unpack That” series won…
-
![It's Not Handled: Judy Smith—Yes, the Real-Life Olivia Pope—Quit Because Even She Can't Fix the HFPA Anymore [Updated]](https://assets-server.theroot.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/25161142/jnxz9uibnlyvxcwe5i0o-300x169.png)
It's Not Handled: Judy Smith—Yes, the Real-Life Olivia Pope—Quit Because Even She Can't Fix the HFPA Anymore [Updated]
Do you hear that? That’s the sound of the camera shutter clicking as we transition to the next scene in Shonda Rhimes’ Scandal—actually, it’s the sound of transition for the real-life inspiration behind Olivia Pope, author and crisis management expert Judy Smith because she is parting ways with her clients at the Hollywood Foreign Press…
-
Exclusive: Danielle Belton to Star in Tyler Perry’s The HuffPost That Preys
Danielle Belton (The Black Snob, The Root) has been tapped to star in Tyler Perry’s The HuffPostThat Preys, The Root has learned exclusively. Belton will be portraying the role of Editor-In-Chief. Plot details are scarce, but sources close to the matter say the synopsis will revolve around a bougie Black woman editorial dynamo who embarks…