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Our favorite actress is @beyonce.

🎥: #TheFightingTemptations

With my besties for @elisajohnson.co’s “THE MOTHER’S DAY EDIT”, celebrating all of the timeless, powerful, modern Mothers running today’s world. 🙏🏾 🖤
Little Darlings, shop this glamorous collection at elisajohnson.co

With my besties for @elisajohnson.co’s “THE MOTHER’S DAY EDIT”, celebrating all of the timeless, powerful, modern Mothers running today’s world. 🙏🏾 🖤
Little Darlings, shop this glamorous collection at elisajohnson.co

With my besties for @elisajohnson.co’s “THE MOTHER’S DAY EDIT”, celebrating all of the timeless, powerful, modern Mothers running today’s world. 🙏🏾 🖤
Little Darlings, shop this glamorous collection at elisajohnson.co

With my besties for @elisajohnson.co’s “THE MOTHER’S DAY EDIT”, celebrating all of the timeless, powerful, modern Mothers running today’s world. 🙏🏾 🖤
Little Darlings, shop this glamorous collection at elisajohnson.co

With my besties for @elisajohnson.co’s “THE MOTHER’S DAY EDIT”, celebrating all of the timeless, powerful, modern Mothers running today’s world. 🙏🏾 🖤
Little Darlings, shop this glamorous collection at elisajohnson.co

With my besties for @elisajohnson.co’s “THE MOTHER’S DAY EDIT”, celebrating all of the timeless, powerful, modern Mothers running today’s world. 🙏🏾 🖤
Little Darlings, shop this glamorous collection at elisajohnson.co

With my besties for @elisajohnson.co’s “THE MOTHER’S DAY EDIT”, celebrating all of the timeless, powerful, modern Mothers running today’s world. 🙏🏾 🖤
Little Darlings, shop this glamorous collection at elisajohnson.co

A wonderful memory celebrating the radiant @mstinaknowles and her fabulous new @kurtgeiger collection. 🩷 ✨ 🌸 👛 The afternoon uplifted our glamorous Matriarchs as we reminisced on the shared blessings of Motherhood. 🙏🏾 🙏🏾 🙏🏾

A wonderful memory celebrating the radiant @mstinaknowles and her fabulous new @kurtgeiger collection. 🩷 ✨ 🌸 👛 The afternoon uplifted our glamorous Matriarchs as we reminisced on the shared blessings of Motherhood. 🙏🏾 🙏🏾 🙏🏾

Meet the four Shamelessly Gorgeous actors announced for Pearl Cleage’s Raucous new comedy, directed by @ltjackson_. Performances begin June 10.

Meet the four Shamelessly Gorgeous actors announced for Pearl Cleage’s Raucous new comedy, directed by @ltjackson_. Performances begin June 10.

Meet the four Shamelessly Gorgeous actors announced for Pearl Cleage’s Raucous new comedy, directed by @ltjackson_. Performances begin June 10.

Meet the four Shamelessly Gorgeous actors announced for Pearl Cleage’s Raucous new comedy, directed by @ltjackson_. Performances begin June 10.

Meet the four Shamelessly Gorgeous actors announced for Pearl Cleage’s Raucous new comedy, directed by @ltjackson_. Performances begin June 10.

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Happy Birthday to our Bad Boss Zoe Dove🎂🥳🥂We praise God for who you are 🙏🏾❤️Mom & Dad

Our Opening Night of PURPOSE was one year ago today! 🩵   ✨   
Performing on stage alongside my supremely talented PURPOSE family is a Blessing I continue to hold close to my heart. 🙏🏾   🙏🏾  Thank you to all My Little Darlings whose support lifted us up through our production and far beyond.

Our Opening Night of PURPOSE was one year ago today! 🩵   ✨   
Performing on stage alongside my supremely talented PURPOSE family is a Blessing I continue to hold close to my heart. 🙏🏾   🙏🏾  Thank you to all My Little Darlings whose support lifted us up through our production and far beyond.

Our Opening Night of PURPOSE was one year ago today! 🩵   ✨   
Performing on stage alongside my supremely talented PURPOSE family is a Blessing I continue to hold close to my heart. 🙏🏾   🙏🏾  Thank you to all My Little Darlings whose support lifted us up through our production and far beyond.

Our Opening Night of PURPOSE was one year ago today! 🩵   ✨   
Performing on stage alongside my supremely talented PURPOSE family is a Blessing I continue to hold close to my heart. 🙏🏾   🙏🏾  Thank you to all My Little Darlings whose support lifted us up through our production and far beyond.

Our Opening Night of PURPOSE was one year ago today! 🩵   ✨   
Performing on stage alongside my supremely talented PURPOSE family is a Blessing I continue to hold close to my heart. 🙏🏾   🙏🏾  Thank you to all My Little Darlings whose support lifted us up through our production and far beyond.

Our Opening Night of PURPOSE was one year ago today! 🩵   ✨   
Performing on stage alongside my supremely talented PURPOSE family is a Blessing I continue to hold close to my heart. 🙏🏾   🙏🏾  Thank you to all My Little Darlings whose support lifted us up through our production and far beyond.

Our Opening Night of PURPOSE was one year ago today! 🩵   ✨   
Performing on stage alongside my supremely talented PURPOSE family is a Blessing I continue to hold close to my heart. 🙏🏾   🙏🏾  Thank you to all My Little Darlings whose support lifted us up through our production and far beyond.

The Broadway/Steppenwolf Theatre Company Production of
Purpose (Gil Cates Theater)
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
November 11 – December 13, 2026
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Phylicia Rashad
Featuring Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis, Jon Michael Hill, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Harry Lennix & Kara Young

Meet the Jaspers: generations of a powerful Black political family under one roof where nothing stays buried for long. When their youngest son returns home, instincts kick in to protect their public image of leadership and moral authority, and fractures soon appear as private grievances, betrayals, and long-simmering questions of identity rise to the surface.

Direct from Broadway, this 2025 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning play makes its LA debut with the original Broadway cast, directed by the incomparable Phylicia Rashad. Both intimate and epic, Purpose is provocative, often hilarious, and ultimately a devastating exploration of legacy and the cost of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Originally Produced on Broadway by David Stone, Debra Martin Chase, Marc Platt, LaChanze, Rashad V. Chambers, Aaron Glick, Universal Theatrical Group, Eastern Standard Time, Trate Productions, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, James L. Nederlander, John Gore, ATG Entertainment, The Shubert Organization and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Production Sponsor: @citynationalbank
‌
Key Art Photos by @coreyolsen
Art Direction by @marienoorbergen / @base_design
Styling by @per_haps
Make-up: @karendupiche
Hairstyling: @iamstacygray

The Broadway/Steppenwolf Theatre Company Production of
Purpose (Gil Cates Theater)
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
November 11 – December 13, 2026
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Phylicia Rashad
Featuring Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis, Jon Michael Hill, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Harry Lennix & Kara Young

Meet the Jaspers: generations of a powerful Black political family under one roof where nothing stays buried for long. When their youngest son returns home, instincts kick in to protect their public image of leadership and moral authority, and fractures soon appear as private grievances, betrayals, and long-simmering questions of identity rise to the surface.

Direct from Broadway, this 2025 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning play makes its LA debut with the original Broadway cast, directed by the incomparable Phylicia Rashad. Both intimate and epic, Purpose is provocative, often hilarious, and ultimately a devastating exploration of legacy and the cost of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Originally Produced on Broadway by David Stone, Debra Martin Chase, Marc Platt, LaChanze, Rashad V. Chambers, Aaron Glick, Universal Theatrical Group, Eastern Standard Time, Trate Productions, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, James L. Nederlander, John Gore, ATG Entertainment, The Shubert Organization and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Production Sponsor: @citynationalbank
‌
Key Art Photos by @coreyolsen
Art Direction by @marienoorbergen / @base_design
Styling by @per_haps
Make-up: @karendupiche
Hairstyling: @iamstacygray

The Broadway/Steppenwolf Theatre Company Production of
Purpose (Gil Cates Theater)
LOS ANGELES PREMIERE
November 11 – December 13, 2026
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins
Directed by Phylicia Rashad
Featuring Alana Arenas, Glenn Davis, Jon Michael Hill, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Harry Lennix & Kara Young

Meet the Jaspers: generations of a powerful Black political family under one roof where nothing stays buried for long. When their youngest son returns home, instincts kick in to protect their public image of leadership and moral authority, and fractures soon appear as private grievances, betrayals, and long-simmering questions of identity rise to the surface.

Direct from Broadway, this 2025 Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize–winning play makes its LA debut with the original Broadway cast, directed by the incomparable Phylicia Rashad. Both intimate and epic, Purpose is provocative, often hilarious, and ultimately a devastating exploration of legacy and the cost of believing in something bigger than yourself.

Originally Produced on Broadway by David Stone, Debra Martin Chase, Marc Platt, LaChanze, Rashad V. Chambers, Aaron Glick, Universal Theatrical Group, Eastern Standard Time, Trate Productions, Nancy Nagel Gibbs, James L. Nederlander, John Gore, ATG Entertainment, The Shubert Organization and Steppenwolf Theatre Company.

Production Sponsor: @citynationalbank
‌
Key Art Photos by @coreyolsen
Art Direction by @marienoorbergen / @base_design
Styling by @per_haps
Make-up: @karendupiche
Hairstyling: @iamstacygray

Thank you to the House of @giorgioarmani for hosting a fabulous Awards Season celebration at the Giorgio Armani Flagship on Rodeo Drive, and thank you Barry for always dressing us so well. It was a wonderful evening.

Thank you to the House of @giorgioarmani for hosting a fabulous Awards Season celebration at the Giorgio Armani Flagship on Rodeo Drive, and thank you Barry for always dressing us so well. It was a wonderful evening.

Thank you to the House of @giorgioarmani for hosting a fabulous Awards Season celebration at the Giorgio Armani Flagship on Rodeo Drive, and thank you Barry for always dressing us so well. It was a wonderful evening.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Thank you @essence for honoring me at the 2026 ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood celebration. 💜✨
I’m so grateful to stand alongside this year’s brilliant honorees, Chase Infiniti, Kerry Washington,
Zinzi Coogler and The extraordinary women of Sinners. What a privilege to be in fellowship with Creatives celebrating the beauty, power and excellence of Black Women.

Legendary, fearless, and always authentic.

In this edition of ESSENCE Behind the Honoree, LaTanya Richardson Jackson opens up about legacy, truth, and the journey that shaped her decades of unforgettable work on stage and screen.

Her voice, wisdom, and spirit remind us that real power comes from showing up fully as yourself.

Watch her full Behind The Honoree at ESSENCE.com.

What joy to watch Kandi Burruss perform on Broadway with the incomparable James Monroe Iglehart in “& Juliet” BRAVO 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

What joy to watch Kandi Burruss perform on Broadway with the incomparable James Monroe Iglehart in “& Juliet” BRAVO 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Before the industry could define her, LaTanya Richardson Jackson defined herself.

Atlanta raised. Spelman sharpened. Spirit-led since six years old when she says she saw Jesus in her bedroom and decided she was different for a reason.

“My mom said, ‘They’re going to always choose her, but they really want you. They just don’t know how to do it,’” Jackson recalls—a declaration that shaped her confidence early on.

That knowing creates faith that no one can break. She refused fear in auditions. Refused watered-down portrayals of Black life. Refused to let anyone explain her grandmother’s dignity to her. When told she didn’t have “enough fear” in a role, she decided the room itself was the lesson.

From becoming the first woman to direct an August Wilson play on Broadway and earning two Tony nominations to opening a performing arts center at Spelman, Jackson’s career is built on one principle: authenticity over approval.

And now that the spotlight is finally steady on her, she’s not adjusting to it. She’s owning it.

LaTanya Richardson Jackson our 2026 ESSENCE Black Women In Hollywood Virtuoso, read more about her journey at ESSENCE.com.

Photography: @peacebureau
Writer: @thegreatisnate
Styling: @ltjackson_
Hair - @mistergeorgeous
Makeup - @adamchristophermakeup
Editorial Director -@ghostwritervic
Content Operations Manager -@shelbylnstewart
VP, of Social & Special Projects- @mentionme
Visuals Director - @hashtag_bre
Art Director-@isaiahmikhail
Sr. Social & Branded Content Editor - @kelvineunique
Talent Lead: @d_ricks