BBC apologises for calling Viola Davis ‘Beyoncé’

8 February, 2023

two side by side pictures of Viola Davis (left) and Beyoncé (right) onstage at the Grammys 2023

The BBC has issued an apology after it captioned an image of Viola Davis “Beyoncé’s Big Night” in a post-Grammys news segment.

The broadcaster made the mistake on the BBC News channel following the 65th Annual Awards in Los Angeles, California last Sunday (February 5).

This year’s ceremony saw Beyoncé break the record for the most Grammy wins of all time after collecting four new statues, including Best Dance/Electronic Music Album (‘Renaissance’). She now has 32 Grammy trophies from across her career.

Davis, meanwhile, achieved EGOT status by picking up a Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration And Storytelling Recording for her autobiography Finding Me.

After viewers noticed that the BBC had used a photo of Davis instead of Beyoncé, the corporation shared a statement on Twitter.

“We apologise for the mistake last night when our news channels briefly showed a photograph of Viola Davis from January’s Golden Globes alongside a headline about Beyoncé at yesterday’s Grammys,” it read.

The message added: “This fell below the BBC’s usual standards.” See the tweets below.

Despite making Grammys history, Beyoncé lost out on the Album Of The Year award to Harry Styles and his third solo record, ‘Harry’s House’.

Bey also took home Best Dance/Electronic Recording (‘Break My Soul’), Best Traditional R&B Performance (‘Plastic Off The Sofa’) and Best R&B Song (‘Cuff It’).

A skywriter in LA this week celebrated Beyoncé’s record-breaking night, reminding people that she still “made music history”.

During a recent interview, the singer’s husband Jay-Z explained why he believed ‘Renaissance’ should have been crowned Album Of The Year in 2023.

Accepting her milestone award elsewhere at the Grammys, Viola Davis said: “I wrote this book to honour the six-year-old Viola. To honour her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything.

“It has just been such a journey. I just EGOT! Thank you, Harper Collins, Lavaille Lavette, you epitomise sister, friend. And really, to everybody who was part of my story. And the best chapter yet, my loves: Julius, Genesis. You are my life, My joy. you are the best chapter in this book. Thank you.”

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