Returning as host, comedian/actor and three-time Image Award winner Deon Cole helmed the 57th annual NAACP Image Awards at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium on Friday (Feb. 28). The tightly paced, two-hour ceremony featured no musical performances. Cole, however, skillfully balanced both a topical and cultural tone while keeping the proceedings lively, especially during his opening monologue.

“Welcome to the NAACP Trump Image Awards,” Cole deadpanned to the audience’s high-spirited laughter. “We had to do that. Yes, he wants his name on everything. I apologize. If we didn’t do that, we’d go to commercial and come back in an episode of Matlock.”

After addressing the Epstein files, Cole then implored show officials to “charge me for this curse word” used to spotlight another topical subject during which he was bleeped out. But it wasn’t hard to read his lips: “F—k ICE.” Greeted again by hearty applause, and shoutouts as well as a standing ovation, Cole added, “I don’t want to see no ICE ever again. When I looked at the guest list, I took off Ice Cube, Iced Tea, Ice Spice. I don’t want no ice cream. I don’t want no ice in my drink…”

Taking the audience to church next, Cole led a prayer on behalf of several entertainers. Among those he blessed were Teyana Taylor (“Keep her single and away from 6’3” green-eyed men with muscles”), 50 Cent (“But that pettiness begins our day going fast at work, don’t it?”) and Nicki Minaj (“She’s been going through a lot lately. She hasn’t been herself. Lord, I believe whatever’s in her ass is affecting her brain”).

Lastly, Cole addressed the recent British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards controversy that erupted when the N-word was shouted out by John Davidson, who suffers from Tourette syndrome, while Sinners stars Michael B. Jordan and Delroy Lindo were presenting an award at that ceremony (Feb. 22). BAFTA, the BBC and Davidson (also a Tourette activist whose life inspired the 2025 film I Swear) subsequently apologized.

“Before we go, Lord,” concluded Cole, “if there are any white men out here in the audience with Tourette’s, I advise you to tell them that they better read the room tonight. Lord, it might not go the way they think. Whatever medicine they’re on, they better double up on it. Lord, all these things we ask in Jesus’ name … let the church say amen.”

Moving ahead to the evening’s first award presentation, Cole brought everything full circle. “Let’s have a good time here celebrating everybody’s accomplishments … and we’re going to celebrate being together. Make some noise, y’all. Ain’t nobody better than the next person.”

Among other Image Awards highlights was Samuel L. Jackson’s stirring tribute to late civil rights icon Rev. Jesse Jackson. Members of the Jackson family were also in attendance.

Days after the announcement of his passing, the cause of Oliver “Power” Grant’s death has been revealed.

Grant, a co-founder of the iconic hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, died following “a courageous and hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer,” his family and Wu-Tang Clan said in a joint statement to Rolling Stone.

A childhood friend of RZA’s, Grant played an integral role in building the legendary Staten Island, N.Y., crew and invested in the brand from its earliest stages. He also served as an executive producer on all of Wu’s albums. The group announced his death on Feb. 25. He was 52.

The news of Grant’s passing came the same day the Wu-Tang Clan received its first Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination for the Class of 2026.

“A true fighter until the end, he was surrounded by his mother, his children, his family, and his closest friends,” the tribute read.

A “proud product of the Park Hill neighborhood” of Staten Island, Grant grew up alongside the future members of Wu-Tang Clan. “From those streets, he rose to become a visionary force, a pillar of the Wu-Tang family, and a global architect of culture,” the statement continued. “It was the honor of his life to pour his love, wisdom, and brilliance into his family and his community. His impact was singular; there will never be another to take his place.”

“Power will always be loved, and his legacy will forever remain,” Grant’s family and Wu-Tang wrote in closing. “Greatness is not what you have, but what you give.”

Although Power wasn’t a performing member of the Wu-Tang Clan, he played a crucial role in the group’s rise. In 1992, he helped finance the act’s first single, “Protect Ya Neck,” and served as executive producer on their 1993 debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers).

Grant’s influence also extended beyond music. He co-founded the pioneering streetwear brand Wu Wear, a trailblazing and highly lucrative venture for the group.

Police say Cher’s son was arrested on Friday (Feb. 27) after acting belligerently at an elite private high school in New Hampshire, of which he has no association.

Elijah Blue Allman, 49, was booked into the Merrimack County Jail and charged with four misdemeanors: two counts of simple assault, criminal trespass and criminal threatening. Allman, whose father was the late Gregg Allman, was also charged with a violation of disorderly conduct, which is illegal in the state but not considered a crime.

At about 7 p.m. that day, Concord police responded to reports that Allman was disturbing people in the dining hall of St. Paul’s School. After charging Allman, police said he was released on bail as his case works through the court system.

Allman has no apparent connection to the school, and it remains unclear why he was there, sources tell TMZ. He primarily resides in Southern California.

Attorney information for Allman was not available in court records.

A representative for Cher was not immediately available. St. Paul’s School declined to comment.

An investigation is ongoing.

In June 2025, Allman was hospitalized following an overdose at his home after authorities responded to reports of erratic behavior. Drugs were later discovered at the residence, according to TMZ. The incident occurred roughly two months after his wife, Marieangela King, filed for divorce following 13 years of marriage.

Cher sought a conservatorship over her son in 2023, alleging he was “substantially unable to manage his own financial resources due to severe mental health and substance abuse issues.” She also claimed King had interfered with his efforts to seek treatment, TMZ reported. The case was dismissed in late 2024.