Debbie Allen Celebrates Her Long-Awaited First Oscar — With Phylicia Rashad, Cynthia Erivo, And Tom Cruise By Her Side

Debbie Allen at The 16th Governors Awards held at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Ovation Hollywood on November 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images)

Variety via Getty Images

On November 16th, the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences held the 16th Governors Awards at the Ray Dolby Ballroom in Hollywood. Honorary Awards were presented to Debbie Allen by Cynthia Erivo, Tom Cruise by Alejandro González Iñárritu, and Wynn Thomas by Octavia Spencer.

The 16th Governors Awards are supported and presented in partnership with Rolex, the Exclusive Watch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The ballroom featured an A-list crowd with entertainers such as Queen Latifah, Steven Spielberg, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Andra Day, Damson Idris, Jurnee Smollett, Regina Hall, Wunmi Mosaku, Zinzi and Ryan Coogler, and more.

Allen has dominated the entertainment industry for decades, as she’s a legendary dancer, director, and producer, and her influence extends across television, theater, dance, and film. Receiving her first Oscar was long overdue. Before Allen received her Oscar, she threw a pre-ceremony celebration at her dance school, the Debbie Allen Dance Academy. She hit the dance floor with fellow actor Tom Cruise, who also received an Honorary Award. The two danced to songs played by popular DJ D-Nice, hyping up the crowd, including Phylicia Rashad and Jenifer Lewis. The moment went viral on social media.

Allen’s career is diverse and expansive, as she’s known for impactful roles like Lydia Grant in “Fame,” directing and producing “A Different World,” and upleveling the medical drama, “Grey’s Anatomy,” into a global phenomenon. The Governors Awards traditionally honor artists whose work has made a lasting impact in Hollywood and beyond, and Allen’s career exemplifies the purpose of the award, as she has cemented her legacy through advocacy, longevity, and mentorship.

Her lengthy resume was highlighted by “Wicked: For Good” star Cynthia Erivo. Allen, tearfully, shared her thoughts on the decades of hard work she has put into the entertainment business while accepting her honorary Oscar. “Thank you so much to the Academy and the board of governors for this glorious golden moment in the sun with Oscar. Movies were a way in for my sister and me. We used to watch all the movies, and our imaginations could go and wander. We could see ourselves. This is such a profound moment,” she said to the supportive audience.

She continued, “I have to say that all of my accomplishments and everything I’ve done, and continue to do, I have not done alone. I’ve had masters and mentors that have trained me, encouraged me, criticized me, given me opportunity, uplifted me, and helped me become the Debbie Allen that you’re celebrating tonight.”

Allen listed notable mentors who shaped her career, such as Alvin Ailey and Bob Fosse, but said her most outstanding mentors have always been her family. “My mother, Vivan Allen, and my father, Dr. Andrew Arthur Allen, who raised their children believing that we were citizens of the universe. That there were no boundaries.”

She closed her speech with an inspirational message, “Tonight is a victory for courage, resilience, and passion and work. Doing the work. You have no idea how this award will resonate with the millions of people that are in my orbit, and the people right now who need a path of possibility. This award will tell them that if they do the work, they can climb that mountain. They can stay in the game.”