Cover Stories & Profiles

The 2026 Black Women in Hollywood Lifetime Achievement Award recipient is no longer just starring in stories—she’s shaping them, uplifting the next storytellers and using her platform with intention.

“Everything’s a little more challenging now, given what Elon Musk and the [Department of Government Efficiency] team did to decimate funding for all manner of things I thought were really important to our country and to our communities,” Legend says. “It makes it harder."

“I tell people all the time: Be careful what you wish for," says Foxx. "I’m a gregarious dude and I just want to have fun. And sometimes people will take advantage of that—especially in today’s world. Now? You’ve got to be careful. Everything is looked at. Everything is scrutinized.”

“Forget actor, comedian, writer, producer. I care about being a son. I care about being a nephew. I care about being a friend, but most of all I care about being a father,” says Marlon. “That's the one title you can put on the tombstone, ‘loving father.’”

“I want to be an example for anybody who's thinking about [motherhood] but is in the middle of their career and they're trying to contemplate whether they can do it. The answer is yes, you can," says Monét.

The actress, mother and beloved twin describes how the end of her marriage forced her to be alone for the first time—and sparked an appreciation for her own company.

Carmelo Anthony's journey beyond the court: I don’t know if we’re overthinking it once we hit 40, and now you try to figure it [all] out, or you’re just more intentional because of the notion of hitting 40, but it’s a lot of clarity for me at this stage."

“I'm still just a writer and actor, but I want that to change,” Osman says. “I want to make sure that I have access and pull in a way where I can tell the stories that I want to tell and not sacrifice the art.

The iconic actress opens up about the return of the ‘Best Man' franchise, being dragged into an NBA scandal and at last pursuing a career on her terms: “The days of being on the battlefield unnecessarily are over.”

Sienna Miller, Meryl Streep, Forest Whitaker and Kit Harington are among the international cast of Apple TV+'s ambitious limited series, which asks what happens to humanity in the near future, when global warming upends every aspect of our lives, including the way we love and grieve.

Divorce behind her and having joined the DC Universe, the actress is embracing her next chapter: "I get to start life all over again, in my prime."

Not even backlash, being blackballed or deemed not Black enough have caused the EGOT to question who she is as a Black woman throughout her nearly 40-year career in Hollywood. 

One of R&B's most humble giants says he's simply "The best at being me." 

"I'm not one to rest on my laurels," says the actress who achieved pay parity for the first time in her career for her role in the Amazon Prime Video series.

This leading man is here to stay.

As Cardi B and Offset manage marriage, music, and money moves, family security always comes first.

Champagne and caviar might do it for some- but it's the ability to work consistently in Hollywood, for nearly four decades, that ESSENCE's November/December 2022 cover star considers a true luxury.

As an entertainer, Lizzo doesn't fit into anyone's mold-- and that's exactly how she likes it.

The baby of one of the most renowned families of Black entertainers is ready to take center stage.

The actor, who's also an executive producer of the series, wants to be responded to for his talent "and not labeled as any one thing."

For the November issue of HelloBeautiful, Amber Riley talks about Big Girl Energy as a mood, why she doesn’t mess with the body-positive movement, and how she copes with anxiety and depression in a year which has brought an unprecedented amount of loss.

On the heels of the release of their second feature film, Jordan Peele reveals why Daniel Kaluuya is a dream collaborator.