--- description: The 2016 Oscars had a satirical take on Black History Month, sending up Hollywood's lack of diversity over the decades. title: Angela Bassett Uses Oscars Black History Month Segment to Honor Someone Unexpected image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89b5adde550bd671/69887f85cf40a8d561c42327/angela-bassett.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Entertainment](/section/entertainment/) ## Entertainment Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [awards](/tag/awards/) ## awards Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Angela Bassett Uses Oscars Black History Month Segment to Honor Someone Unexpected  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Feb 29, 2016 3:10 AM CUT  Angela Bassett during an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Feb. 25, 2016 in New York City. Angela Bassett during an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Feb. 25, 2016 in New York City.Lloyd Bishop—Getty Images  by [Eliza Berman](/author/eliza-berman/)  ## Eliza Berman Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Berman is a senior editor at TIME. Feb 29, 2016 3:10 AM CUT The [88th Academy Awards](http://time.com/4240519/oscars-2016-winners-list/ "undefined") did not tiptoe around the lack of inclusion in Hollywood, with host [Chris Rock](http://time.com/4239748/chris-rock-oscar-monologue-video/?xid=homepage "undefined") and several presenters taking frequent opportunities to bring the issue to light, often with cutting humor. In one such segment, a minute-long pre-recorded video dedicated to Black History Month, Angela Bassett took center stage to honor an actor who, she explained, has left an indelible mark on black history. [Oscars 2016: See Celebrities Walk the Red Carpet](http://time.com/4239855/oscars-2016-red-carpet-fashion-celebrities/ "undefined") Bassett described a man, star of such classics as _Enemy of the State_ and _Shark Tale_, whom viewers could only presume to be Will Smith—who, notably, had [announced](http://time.com/4188459/will-smith-oscars-boycott/ "undefined") plans not to attend the Oscars in response to its all-white spate of acting nominees. But the man in question, the man whom Bassett held up as evidence of Hollywood’s long tradition of “acknowledg\[ing\] people of color,” turned out not to be Smith but his _Shark Tale_ costar, a man who may be “black,” but only in name: Jack Black. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4240662/oscars-2016-angela-bassett-black-history-month/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4240662/oscars-2016-angela-bassett-black-history-month/"},"headline":"Angela Bassett Uses Oscars Black History Month Segment to Honor Someone Unexpected","datePublished":"2016-02-29T03:10:58.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T15:27:01.142Z","description":"The cheeky segment mocked Hollywood's history of failing to acknowledge people of color","url":"https://time.com/4240662/oscars-2016-angela-bassett-black-history-month/","keywords":["awards","movies","Oscars","Black History Month"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89b5adde550bd671/69887f85cf40a8d561c42327/angela-bassett.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Eliza Berman","jobTitle":"Berman is a senior editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/eliza-berman/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt89b5adde550bd671/69887f85cf40a8d561c42327/angela-bassett.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Late Night with Seth Meyers - Season 3","caption":"Angela Bassett during an interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers on Feb. 25, 2016 in New York City.","creditText":"Lloyd Bishop—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/awards/","name":"awards"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4240662/oscars-2016-angela-bassett-black-history-month/","name":"Angela Bassett Uses Oscars Black History Month Segment to Honor Someone Unexpected"}}]}] ```