BET Awards 2022: Taraji P Henson, Janelle Monae and Jazmine Sullivan call out Roe v Wade ruling

Taraji P. Henson

Credit: Getty

People


BET Awards 2022: Taraji P Henson, Janelle Monae and Jazmine Sullivan call out Roe v Wade ruling

By Leah Sinclair

3 years ago

1 min read

Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade on Friday, people have used their platforms to call out the ruling, including Taraji P Henson, Janelle Monae and Jazmine Sullivan at the 2022 BET Awards.

Taraji P Henson and Janelle Monae were among the stars to criticise the Roe v Wade ruling at the 2022 BET Awards.

The annual award ceremony took place at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles and was hosted by Henson, who took to the stage after Lizzo opened the show with a performance of her single About Damn Time, and strongly criticised the Supreme Court’s decision to remove women’s constitutional right to abortion.

“It’s about damn time we talk about the fact that guns have more rights than a woman,” said Henson, after thanking Lizzo for her recent $1 million (£814,000) donation to Planned Parenthood along with Live Nation.

“It’s a sad day in America. A weapon that can take lives has more power than a woman who can give life — IF she chooses to.”

Janelle Monae also took to the stage to present an award, where she highlighted the importance of LGBTQ+ representation.

“I’d like to give a special, special shoutout to Black women, to Black queer artists, to Black non-binary artists,” she said.

“These artists making art on our own terms, owning our truths and expressing ourselves freely and unapologetically in a world that tries to control and police our bodies, my body and our decisions, my decision.”

Monae then stuck out her middle finger and said: “Fuck you, Supreme Court.”

“I know we are celebrating us right now, as we should — we absolutely deserve to celebrate, especially now. We must celebrate our art by protecting our right and our truths.”

After making her speech, Monae’s announced Jazmine Sullivan as the winner of the Best R&B Pop Artist award, who also spoke on the ruling and made a plea to men to support women.

“As always, I do this for the women — for my sisters especially,” she said. “It’s a hard time right now for us, and I want to speak directly to the men: we need y’all. We need y’all to stand up. Stand up for us, stand up with us.

“If you have ever benefited from a woman making one of the toughest decisions of her life, which is to terminate a pregnancy, you need to be standing with us,” she continued. “This is not just a woman’s issue. This is everybody’s issue, and we need your support more than ever — OK fellas? Y’all got us? Because we’ve got y’all.”

Other artists who used the BET Awards as an opportunity to speak out against the ruling included rapper Latto, who said in her Best New Artist acceptance speech: “It’s about giving pro-choice… it’s about never giving in to a man policing my body.”

Many stars have used their voices and platforms to address the overturning of Roe v Wade.

At Glastonbury, Olivia Rodrigo and Lily Allen sang Allen’s hit Fuck You in a clear message to the Supreme Court, while Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion and Phoebe Bridgers also spoke about the news during their sets. Celebrities including Viola Davis and Michelle Obama have also taken to social media to address the situation online. 

Image: Getty

Sign up for the latest news and must-read features from Stylist, so you don’t miss out on the conversation.

By signing up you agree to occasionally receive offers and promotions from Stylist. Newsletters may contain online ads and content funded by carefully selected partners. Don’t worry, we’ll never share or sell your data. You can opt-out at any time. For more information read Stylist’s Privacy Policy

Thank you!

You’re now subscribed to all our newsletters. You can manage your subscriptions at any time from an email or from a MyStylist account.