BBC News has been forced to issue an apology after sharing a photo of Viola Davis while covering Beyoncé’s historic win at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
On Sunday (February 5) night, the 41-year-old musician achieved record-breaking status after she won four Grammys - including best R&B song for 'Cuff It' and best dance/electronic music album for Renaissance. This took her total Grammy wins to 32, making her the most awarded person ever.
The previous record holder was the late Hungarian-British conductor Georg Solti - who recorded over 40 operas, and over 250 discs - and achieved 31 Grammys throughout his career.
When the news channel reported on the 'Crazy In Love' hitmaker's success, they used a picture of the 57-year-old actress at the Golden Globes earlier this month alongside the headline "Beyonce’s big night".
Check out the mishap below:Eagle-eyed viewers were quick to call out the mistake on social media, as one person shared a screenshot and wrote: "Who’s gonna tell @BBCNews?"
Others chimed in on the discussion as another person remarked: "I think they do these things deliberately....cos there's no way this 'error' happened in the first place and no way it was missed by everyone."
However, other viewers claimed that it was a screenshot from a video showing coverage of various Grammy winners - such as Harry Styles and Lizzo - but it had a Beyoncé tagline.
"Guys it’s a still image of a video," wrote one person, while another added: "The text & the positioning of the logo means this was a video probably running as a reel introducing the Grammys."
Nevertheless, the British broadcaster took it upon itself to apologize to viewers with a groveling statement shared on their social media page, saying it "fell below" their usual standards.
"We apologize 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," they wrote. "This fell below the BBC’s usual standards."
Read BBC's statement below:The Woman King actress was also triumphant on Sunday night as she earned the prestigious EGOT title and became the third Black woman in history to achieve the honor.
Davis scored the Grammy award for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for narrating her successful autobiography: Finding Me.
The How To Get Away With Murder actress is now one of 18 stars - including John Legend, Audrey Hepburn, and Jennifer Hudson - who have achieved an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
Throughout her stellar career, Davis has won one Emmy (Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for How to Get Away With Murder), two Tonys (Fences and King Hedley II), and one Oscar award (Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Fences).
She's earned four Academy Award nominations so far, which makes her one of the most-nominated African American actresses in history.
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