Angela Bassett certainly “did the thing.”
The “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” star was named Entertainer of the Year at the 2023 NAACP Image Awards Saturday, and referenced Ariana DeBose’s viral rap that name-dropped her in her acceptance speech.
“I guess Angela Bassett did the thing,” the actress, 64, joked, while imitating DeBose’s iconic shoulder moves.
Bassett’s appearance at the awards show came less than a week after DeBose, 32, opened the BAFTAs with an original rap that gave a shout-out to the female nominees.
Although the performance – dubbed by many as “cringeworthy” – quickly became a viral meme, many social media users threw their support behind the Oscar winner, arguing that she had created an iconic pop culture moment.
“Listen! Ariana wherever you are—— you did this. You created culture. Not many people get to! Hahahahahaha love it,” one person commented on a clip of Bassett referencing the now-iconic moment.
“I truly cannot wait for ‘Ahn-juh-lah Bah-seht did the thing’ to be apart of those 2023 recap videos,” another person added, while a third chimed in, “Never has a Queen more Queened.”
Earlier in the night, Bassett revealed she actually reached out to DeBose in the aftermath of the performance.
“I DM’d her last night. I did. It was beautiful,” she told Variety on the red carpet.
“I just wanted to make sure she was OK because, you know, it’s a lot of attention. And she is A-OK.”
The “West Side Story” actress name-dropped several A-listers in the awards show opening segment, which also featured covers of “Sisters Are Doing It for Themselves” and “We Are Family.”
“Angela Bassett did the thing / Viola Davis, my Woman King / Blanchett, Cate, you’re a genius / And Jamie Lee [Curtis], you are all of us,” the Broadway star sang in part.
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DeBose later said the performance was a “blast,” no matter the reception from viewers.
“Honestly, it’s not like I’m like, ‘Hey BAFTA, let me in!’ They actually called me, believe it or not,” DeBose said on BBC Radio 2’s “Breakfast Show” last week.
“But that was the assignment. Like, ‘Come celebrate women,’ and I was like, ‘Absolutely!’ We did that and it was fun. Not gonna lie, I had a blast.”
DeBose added that she spent the rest of the night “cutting a rug” with fellow actress Emma Thompson.
“It was fabulous. I had a great time.”