It is a question that has sparked literal internet meltdowns and countless "justice for Angela" memes over the last few decades. Honestly, if you follow the Oscars at all, you've probably felt that collective holding of breath whenever her name is called in a ballroom full of tuxedos. People get heated about this.
So, has Angela Bassett won an Oscar? Yes. But there is a huge "but" attached to that answer.
As of 2026, Angela Bassett does indeed have an Academy Award sitting on her shelf. However, she didn't win it for a specific movie role in a competitive race. She was awarded an Honorary Academy Award in January 2024. It’s a distinction that feels both triumphant and, to many fans, slightly bittersweet.
The 2024 Honorary Oscar: A Lifetime of Excellence
Basically, the Academy realized they had messed up for too long. At the 14th Governors Awards, which took place on January 9, 2024, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences finally handed Bassett the golden statuette.
This wasn't just a "participation trophy." The Honorary Oscar is reserved for those who have made "extraordinary distinction in lifetime achievement." When Regina King—a powerhouse in her own right—presented the award to her, the room didn't just clap. They stood. It felt like a coronation.
Bassett’s speech was legendary. She didn't just thank her agent. She spoke for fifteen minutes about the Black actresses who came before her—names like Hattie McDaniel and Cicely Tyson—and the responsibility she feels to the "little Black and brown girls" watching. She called the trophy a "testament to my legacy."
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Why the "First" Loss Still Hurts Fans
To understand why people are so obsessed with her Oscar status, you have to go back to 1994.
Angela Bassett starred as Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It. It wasn't just a performance; it was a transformation. She didn't just play Tina; she became the icon, capturing the trauma, the resilience, and that specific, electric stage presence.
- Year: 1994
- Category: Best Actress
- The Performance: Tina Turner in What's Love Got to Do with It
- The Result: Nominated
- Who won instead? Holly Hunter for The Piano
Holly Hunter was great. Nobody is saying she wasn't. But in the court of public opinion, Bassett’s loss became one of the most cited "snubs" in Hollywood history. For thirty years, that remained her only nomination. It’s wild when you think about her filmography: Waiting to Exhale, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Malcolm X. She was working at the highest level, but the Academy stayed quiet.
The Marvel Milestone and the 2023 Heartbreak
Fast forward nearly three decades. The MCU isn't usually the place where you find "serious" Oscar bait, but then came Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Bassett played Queen Ramonda. The scene where she screams, "Have I not given everything?" wasn't just acting; it was a masterclass in grief.
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She made history by becoming the first person ever nominated for an acting Oscar for a Marvel movie. She won the Golden Globe. She won the Critics Choice Award. The momentum was massive. It felt like the "career win" moment everyone had been waiting for.
Then, on Oscar night in 2023, the envelope was opened for Best Supporting Actress. Jamie Lee Curtis won for Everything Everywhere All at Once.
The camera caught Bassett’s reaction. She didn't fake a smile. She looked disappointed. Honestly? It was a human moment. It launched a thousand think pieces about whether the Academy rewards the "performance" or the "narrative."
The Full Academy Award History for Angela Bassett
If you're keeping score at home, here is the official breakdown of her relationship with the Oscars. It’s a short list for someone of her stature, which is exactly why the conversation around her is so loud.
- 1994: Nominated for Best Actress (What’s Love Got to Do with It).
- 2023: Nominated for Best Supporting Actress (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever).
- 2024: Winner of the Academy Honorary Award.
Is an Honorary Oscar "Real"?
Some people argue that an Honorary Oscar is a "consolation prize." That’s sorta disrespectful to the craft.
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Past recipients include legends like Charlie Chaplin, Spike Lee, and Jackie Chan. It means the industry recognizes that you didn't just have one good year; you had a career that changed the medium.
In her 2024 speech, Bassett herself addressed the "firsts" and "onlys." She noted that she was only the second Black actress to ever receive the honorary award (after Cicely Tyson). She didn't treat it like a runner-up prize. She treated it like the heavy, gold-plated reality of her impact on cinema.
Beyond the Oscars: A Most Decorated Career
While the Oscar is the "big one" for the media, Bassett hasn't exactly been ignored by other voting bodies. She’s basically the Queen of the NAACP Image Awards (she has over 15 of them).
Recently, she finally broke her "Emmy curse" too. In 2024, she won her first Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Narrator for the series Queens. She’s also a two-time Golden Globe winner.
The industry finally seems to be catching up to what audiences have known since the 90s: Angela Bassett is the standard. Whether she ever wins a competitive Oscar in the future—and she very well might, given she’s still starring in and producing projects through Bassett Vance Productions—her status as an Academy Award winner is officially cemented.
What you should do next:
If you want to see the performance that should have won her the competitive trophy decades ago, go back and watch What’s Love Got to Do with It. It’s currently streaming on several platforms. Seeing that performance alongside her 2024 Honorary Oscar speech gives you the full picture of why this woman is a living legend. You can also check out her current work on 9-1-1, where she proves every week that her "Excellence in the Arts" isn't just a title—it's her baseline.