Issa Rae will be honored with the Peabody Trailblazer Award, while Lily Tomlin will receive the org’s Career Achievement Award, as the Peabody Awards celebrates this year’s kudos on June 11 in Los Angeles. Also announced on Thursday, “Shrinking” star and “The Daily Show” alum Jessica Williams has signed on to host this year’s ceremony.
“Beyond our annual awards recognizing the most compelling stories, Peabody is dedicated to recognizing individuals that inspire and delight us,” said Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “Lily Tomlin has made so many people laugh over the decades with her remarkable talent, and Issa Rae has proven herself a profound entertainment storyteller, performer, and force for good. We’re thrilled to recognize Issa and Lily for not only their extraordinary contributions to storytelling, but also for their important role and place for women in comedy and entertainment.”
Both awards were selected by the Peabody Board of Jurors. Meanwhile, as Williams takes the stage for the 83rd annual Peabody Awards ceremony, it will mark the first time for the event on the west coast.
“Since breaking onto the scene with her hysterical segments on ‘The Daily Show,’ Jessica’s wit, wisdom, and powerful performances have established her as not only a comedic force, but also one of the great young actresses working today,” Jones added. “We relish pretty much every moment Jessica appears on the screen and we are so thrilled that she will be hosting our first awards ceremony to take place in Los Angeles.”
According to Peabody, the Trailblazer award “recognizes visionaries that are impacting our culture and affecting social change through their innovative storytelling. With Peabody-winning ‘Insecure,’ in addition to ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’ and ‘Rap Sh!t,’ Rae’s television career achievements have set new standards for programming that reflect the values and breadth of Peabody’s mission to honor stories that matter. Rae’s work with Hoorae, Raedio, and ColorCreative across television, music, film, and digital is changing, challenging, and disrupting traditional Hollywood production models. The Trailblazer Award recognizes creative talent that is literally blazing a trail of excellence in media.”
Meanwhile, the Career Achievement award “is reserved for individuals whose work and commitment to broadcasting and streaming media have left an indelible mark on the field and in American culture. Over the course of her distinguished career, Tomlin has received two Peabodys, seven Emmys, two Tonys, a Grammy, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, amongst other honors. Tomlin joins Carol Burnett, Rita Moreno, Cicely Tyson, Dan Rather, and Sam Pollard as recent winners of the Peabody Career Achievement Award.”
“Abbott Elementary,” “Better Call Saul,” “Severance,” “Mo,” “Reservation Dogs” and “We’re Here” are among this year’s Peabody entertainment nominees. A total of 69 nominees have been chosen by the Peabody Awards’ board of jurors this year in entertainment, arts, children’s/youth, podcast/radio, interactive & immersive, public service, news and documentary.
