Viola Davis and Beyoncé both made historic wins at last night’s Grammy Awards, yet the BBC still can’t tell them apart. The popular British news channel found themselves in a whole lot of trouble last night after broadcasting an image of Davis alongside a headline about Beyoncé.
During coverage for the awards show, the BBC showed an image of Davis from the 2023 Golden Globes with a headline that read, ‘Beyonce’s Big Night,” in reference to the singer’s history-making wins at the awards ceremony.
A screenshot of the error went viral on social media last night, with one Twitter user writing, “Who’s gonna tell @BBCNews?”
Many naysayers quickly criticized the person who shared the image, claiming that Davis’ inclusion was part of a reel of images.
However, another user shared a short video clip of the broadcast, which shows the image of Davis remaining on the screen for over seven seconds while the news reporter says, “It’s Beyoncé’s big night, she gets ever closer to winning the most Grammy Awards of all time,” a status which the singer achieved after accepting her fourth award of the night.
Hours later, BBC News admitted fault and issued an apology via social media, stating that their mistake “fell below the BBC’s usual standards.”
The news channel wrote, “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. This fell below the BBC’s usual standards.”
Earlier in the evening, Davis expressed that she was rooting for Beyoncé to sweep the ceremony.
“I mean, I just can’t help it. I’m a fan,” she said during a red carpet interview ahead of the awards show. She joked that she will have her sparkling wine “held up high” every time Beyonce’s name is called.
The BBC can’t cramp either of the performers’ style, as they both made history at last night’s ceremony. Davis achieved EGOT status during the pre-show after winning an award for her audiobook – becoming the third Black woman to hold the title.
