Queen Latifah to Take Part in Quincy Jones Tribute at 2025 Oscars

Queen Latifah is set to take part in a tribute to Quincy Jones on the 2025 Oscars, which is set to air on Sunday (March 2) from the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood. The actor and musician performed on two tracks on Jones’ 1995 album Q’s Jook Joint.

The news was announced by Raj Kapoor, the telecast’s executive producer and showrunner, during a press conference on Zoom with the creative team. “One of the most exciting things that we’ve worked on this year is a musical performance that will tribute Quincy Jones,” he said.

“We’ve planned and curated this beautiful moment that we hope will uplift the room, that will celebrate the spirit of Quincy and all of his greatness,” said Kapoor, who is co-executive producing the show for the second year in a row (and is part of the Oscars team for the ninth time). “It’s a beautiful moment, and we think it will be very celebratory and make everybody feel really good.”

It’s no surprise that Jones will be receive a special tribute on the show. The producer and musician, who died in November at age 91, made Oscar history many times. He was the first Black musician to be hired as music director on the annual Oscar telecast. In 1967, he became the first Black composer to receive an Oscar nomination for best original song. Jones is, to this day, the only Black composer with three nods in scoring categories, for his work on In Cold Blood (1967), The Wiz (1978) and The Color Purple (1985).

Will Smith, who starred in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which Jones executive produced, would have been a natural for the Jones tribute, but he was banned from all Academy Award events for 10 years in 2023 following his misbehavior on that year’s telecast.

Smith was part of the tribute to Jones on the Grammy Awards on Feb. 2. He shared memories of working with Jones on the show, which Kapoor also executive produced. The Grammys also featured musical tributes to the beloved musician by Herbie Hanock, Cynthia Erivo, Stevie Wonder, Lainey Wilson, Jacob Collier and Janelle Monáe.

In the Zoom conference, the Oscars’ first-time music director Michael Bearden said he has long walked in Jones’ footsteps. Both men were born on the south side of Chicago, moved to New York, and then moved to Los Angeles. “Quincy is really the blueprint of what I’m able to do,” he said.

While the creative team was reluctant to spoil surprises, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo are expected to perform a Wicked medley to kick off the Oscars ceremony. Other performers on the show are Doja Cat, Raye and BLACKPINK’S LISA. The 97th Oscars will also feature a special appearance by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

First-time show host Conan O’Brien explained the team’s reluctance. “You don’t tell people what you’re going to do. A magician told me that.”

O’Brien has hosted the Primetime Emmys twice (in 2002 and 2006) and the MTV Movie Awards (in 2014). But as he said, the Oscars are on another level. “The Oscars feels it’s all of that on steroids,” he said. “The Oscars team is incredibly professional. It’s like for the first time getting to drive a Ferrari. … I wanted to be part of this magical machine.”

O’Brien said he reached out to past hosts Billy Crystal and Jimmy Kimmel for advice. Crystal has hosted the show nine times; Kimmel, four times.

Kapoor announced there will be a charitable component to the show, as there was on the Grammys. “People will be able to interact, and they are free to donate if they would like to.”

Kapoor, Bearden and O’Brien were joined on the Zoom call by executive producer Katy Mullan, co-executive producer Rob Paine, producer and writer Mike Sweeney, writer Jon Macks, production designer Alana Billingsley and supervising choreographer Mandy Moore.