THE PEABODY AWARDS TO HONOR AHMIR “QUESTLOVE” THOMPSON WITH TRAILBLAZER AWARD
Questlove to be feted at The Sun Rose Hotel, October 10, in Los Angeles with award-winning multihyphenate Quinta Brunson and iconic political activist and philosopher Angela Davis taking part.
Athens, GA, September 11, 2025…The Peabody Awards Board of Jurors announced today that musician, filmmaker, and activist Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson will be honored with the 2025 Peabody Trailblazer Award, on October 10, 2025, at The Sun Rose Hotel (formerly The Pendry Hotel) in Los Angeles. Emmy and Peabody Award-winning actor, writer and producer Quinta Brunson will be on hand to present the award, which will be followed by legendary civil rights activist Angela Davis engaging Questlove in a conversation about his career and the cultural impact of his work. The presenting sponsor of the event is Dropbox, and supporting sponsors are Onyx Collective and Amazon.
“Through his prodigious output of creative work across documentary filmmaking, publishing, music, and more, Questlove has emerged as one our most important voices in understanding American culture of the past and present,” said Dr. Jeffrey Jones, executive director of Peabody. “His work has focused our attention on the centrality of black musical genius in shaping and defining music and culture across the world. We are thrilled to recognize Questlove with this special Peabody honor, and are so excited to have the iconic and brilliant Angela Davis engage Questlove in conversation about his work and these historical, cultural, and political moments that still reverberate today.”
The Trailblazer Award recognizes visionaries whose innovative storytelling styles impact culture and effect social change. Previous recipients include Brunson and inaugural winner Issa Rae.
Questlove’s work has had a profound cultural and social impact by reshaping music, preserving Black history, and amplifying underrepresented voices. As the co-founder and drummer of The Roots, he revolutionized hip-hop by introducing live instrumentation and blending genres, helping shape the Neo-Soul movement and influencing artists across generations. Beyond performance, Questlove has become a cultural historian and storyteller through his Oscar and Peabody-winning documentary Summer of Soul, which revived the forgotten legacy of the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival and highlighted the erasure of Black artistry from mainstream narratives, as well as the EMMY-nominated Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius). Through his books, teaching, and curatorial work, he has deepened public understanding of the intersections between music, race, and social change. By using his platform to advocate for representation, equity, and cultural preservation, Questlove has transcended the role of musician to become a vital cultural archivist and social commentator, ensuring that Black creative contributions remain celebrated and remembered.
The Peabody Awards honors stories that defend public interest, encourage empathy and expand our understanding of the world. Respected for its integrity and revered for its standards of excellence, the Peabody, which is chosen each year by a diverse Board of Jurors through unanimous vote, is an honor like no other for television, podcast/radio, and immersive and interactive media. Awards are in the following categories: entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, immersive and interactive media, and public service programming.
The 2025 Peabody Awards ceremony, hosted by Roy Wood Jr., took place on June 1 at the Beverly Wilshire hotel in Beverly Hills where Andrea Mitchell was honored with the Peabody Career Achievement Award and “Saturday Night Live” was honored with the Peabody Institutional Award.
Other past Peabody Award winners include some of the most beloved and groundbreaking series of all time, including “Hill Street Blues,” “Murphy Brown,” “The Wire,” “Veep,” “The Sopranos,” “Breaking Bad,” “The Office” and “Succession,” and limited/mini-series including “Roots,” “Tales of the City,” “Chernobyl,” and “Dopesick.” Children’s and youth honorees have included “ABC Afterschool Specials,” “Bluey” and “Doc McStuffins,” while landmark educational programs such as “Cosmos” and “NOVA” have also been honored. Peabody began recognizing Interactive and Immersive Media in 2021, with organizations such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post and The New York Times receiving honors.
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ABOUT THE PEABODY AWARDS
The Peabody Awards is celebrating 85 years of honoring stories that defend public interest, encourage empathy and expand our understanding of the world. Respected for its integrity and revered for its standards of excellence, the Peabody is an honor like no other for television, podcast/radio, and immersive and interactive media. Chosen each year by a diverse Board of Jurors through unanimous vote, Peabody Awards are given in the categories of entertainment, documentary, news, podcast/radio, arts, children’s and youth, and public service programming. The annual Peabody winners are a collection of stories that powerfully reflect the pressing social issues and the vibrant emerging voices of our day. From major productions to local journalism, the Peabody Awards shine a light on the Stories That Matter and are a testament to the power of art and reportage in the push for truth, social justice, and equity. The Peabody Awards were founded in 1940 at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia and remain there today. For more information, visit peabodyawards.com to sign up for our newsletter.
For more information, please contact:
Michael Donkis
E-mail: mdonkis@aloftpr.com
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Rebeca Taylor
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