Comedy
Halle Berry Motivates Lena Waithe With Late Night Smooch
The QPOC icon needed inspiration. And the Oscar winner delivered.
May 23 2019 8:30 AM EST
May 23 2019 5:15 AM EST
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The QPOC icon needed inspiration. And the Oscar winner delivered.
Lena Waithe was the substitute host for Jimmy Kimmel Live! Wednesday evening and got a big surprise.
As the queer icon behind The Chiprepared for her turn behind the big desk, she needed some special encouragement-- and got it through a kiss from Hollywood superstar Halle Barry.
The moment came in the opening monologue for the show, when security guard-turned-Kimmel sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez offered to push the "Berry Button." Like a fire extinguisher (except one that turned up the heat), the button was only to be pushed if it was "Berry important," Rodriguez explained.
But when the need grew dire enough, he struck the button. A silhouette of Berry appeared behind a glass door before the actress walked onstage.
Berry strutted on stage and Waithe made a request.
"I need some inspiration," Waithe said, citing Berry's hype Oscar speech. Lights turned down and the cameras zoomed in while Berry delivered.
"You are a force of nature. You are a beautiful African-American queen. You are everything that is hot," Berry said.
"Lena, tonight, you are a writer, an actor, a producer, and tonight you are a late night comedian and you 'bout to slay."
Berry reminded Waithe, who rocked a Coco Butter top, she was "already winning, girl, cuz you are dressed way better than Jimmy ever was."
But just as Waithe proclaimed she was now "good," Berry said she needed something else. And with that, Berry planted a kiss on the QPOC hero.
Waithe on social media assured fans her fiancee Alana Mayo had okay'd the bit, according to Hot New Hip Hop News.
Watch the steamy moment below.