Golden Globes: Chadwick Boseman’s Wife Gives Emotional Acceptance Speech for Actor’s Posthumous Win

Chadwick Boseman’s wife, Taylor Simone Ledward, delivered an emotional acceptance speech on her husband’s behalf following his posthumous 2021 Golden Globes win. Boseman died of colon cancer in August 2020 at the age of 43. On Sunday night, he received a win for best performance by an actor in a drama for his role in Netflix‘s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom.

Appearing via video link for the virtual event, Ledward said her husband “would thank God” and “would thank his parents” as well as “his ancestors for their guidance and their sacrifices” if he were still here to accept the award, his first Golden Globe win. She imagined that Boseman would also thank “his incredible team” and his “team on set for this film – Deidra Dixon, Sian Richards, Craig Anthony and Andrew Carlone.” Ledward went on to imaging the inspiring message she believes her husband would impart on viewers.

“He would say something beautiful, something inspiring, something that would amplify that little voice inside all of that tells you that you can… that tells you to keep going that calls you back to what you are meant to be doing at this moment in history,” Ledward, who was fighting back tears, continued in part. “I don’t have his words but we have to take all the moment to celebrate all we love, so thank you, HFPA, for this opportunity to do exactly that. And, hun, you keep ’em coming. Thank you.”

Boseman had been honored in the category alongside Riz Ahmed for Sound of Metal, Anthony Hopkins for The Father, Gary Oldman for Mank, and Tahar Rahim for The Mauritanian. In the film, the actor portrayed Levee, a gifted but troubled trumpet player. The film is an adaptation of August Wilson’s play and is set in 1927 Chicago. It follows Chicago musicians embroiled in conflict and tensions between the legendary performer and title character and her white manager as music rights become a major breaking point.

The Sunday night award marked the second such posthumous honor for Boseman’s role in the film. Earlier in January, Ledward accepted an award on her husband’s behalf during the IFP Gotham Awards. In her speech, Ledward called it “my honor to receive this award on behalf of my husband, in acknowledgement not only of his profound work, but of his impact on this industry and this world.”