Plus, we celebrate 10 more honorees who enthralled and entertained us throughout 2020.
(Read his full cover story here.)
as a woman trying to stop a gay student from attending a high school dance.
Radka Leitmeritz for EW
(Read her full cover story here.)
(Read his full cover story here.)
Love this journey for them, indeed.
Erik Carter for EW
(Read their full cover story here.)
(Read the full tribute here.)
(Read the full Q&A here.)
Nolwen Cifuentes for EW
Here, she’s honored byTracee Ellis Ross, the Emmy-nominated star of the ABC comedyBlack-ish.
Her face gives you everything.
It gives you valleys.
Saty + Pratha for EW
It gives you peaks.
It gives you depth.
Because to a certain extent, because of social media, storytelling has gotten lazy because we spoon-feed everybody.
Sam Jones / Trunk Archive
I felt like she changed the way you tell a story.
She changed the expectation of what the audience has to bring.
She doesn’t answer it.
Taylor Swift’s Entertainer of the Year cover reunites the pop star with her ‘Folklore’ photographer, Beth Garrabrant.Beth Garrabrant for EW
She shows you the complexity and the nuance without at all sugar-coating it the confusion of an experience.
It’s just all in there.
And it’s all in there from every aspect.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images
Every aspect of that show illuminated how you’re able to tell a story and share an experience.
I was truly blown away and uncomfortable and all of it.
Michaela’s work constantly shows us who we are instead of what TV says we are.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; ALBERTO CRISTOFARI/CONTRASTO/Redux
In 2017, Brit’s debut novel,The Mothers, was recommended everywhere.
I hunted Brit down on social media just to tell her I was a big fan.
But afterThe MothersI just needed to tell her how much I loved the book.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; Liz Collins/Trunk Archive
When I readThe Vanishing Half, it just felt so real.
It’s a real gift to make people feel so many different things.
And it’s comforting to see thatThe Vanishing Halfis still everywhere.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; MAARTEN DE BOER/THE LICENSING PROJECT
But Brit’s work has become too large for that.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriterAnnie Clark, who performs asSt.
Great artists always find a way to be there when you need them.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; Amy Sussman/Getty Images
They tell us it is going to be okay.
That don’t worry, they feel that way too.
The Chicks have been those artists for us for years.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; Pari Dukovic/Trunk Archive
Sassy and yet utterly sincere.
They make truth you wanna harmonize to in a car full of tears.
Truth you wanna dance to at Texas weddings full of friends and family and booze.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Truth you wanna sing along to in an arena full of lighters.
The Chicks are the girl gang you wanna commiserate with about a heartbreak.
The gang you wanna join to help give an ex what is coming to them.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; Ramona Rosales/August
They madeGaslighteras all of America was being gaslit by the powerful.
They told us it’s going to be okay.
They feel that way too.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; G L Askew II for EW
And we will get through it like always… together.
Jonathan Majors
The 31-year-oldDa 5 Bloodsstar’s devotion to acting and resilience impressed hisLovecraft CountrycostarJurnee Smollett.
Jonathan Majorsis just relentless in his pursuit of the craft.
Illustration by Lizzie Gill for EW; Ben Watts for EW
We all benefit because of that.
Art for Jonathan is a mechanism, not just for expression and growth, but for survival.
Jonathan must create art by any means necessary.
The demands on our minds, bodies, [and] spirit were quite great.
But in Jonathan, I had a partner that I trusted [and] leaned upon.
We had rituals together.
There was this real pouring into each other artistically that I’m grateful for.
His work was stunning inDa 5 Bloods.
He’s completely at home with whomever he’s in a scene with because he’s listening and responding.
“As told to Chancellor Agard
Maya Rudolph
Big Mouth.The Good Place.
Bless the Harts.Kamala Harris.
This comedy icon owned 2020.
Here, she’s honored by comedianSarah Cooper(Everything’s Fine, which was executive-produced by Rudolph).
SNLis where I fell in love with Maya.
She has an amazing command of using the sounds of her words to make anything funny.
Her Aunt Jemima impression [on the post-election episode] just listen to her say “mouthwatering.”
It makes me laugh every time I think about it.
I’ll probably die with that feeling of “I wish I could beMaya Rudolph.”
She really has done everything.
I would love to follow my heart the way that she followed hers.
Talking to her just feels like a warm hug.
Every time she speaks, it’s like it’s coming from this deep, guru-like place.
1 albumAfter Hours and managed to make pandemic performances captivating.
Singer-songwriter-performerChristine and the Queenspays tribute.
The Weekndhas a very interesting narrative arc.
He started with an insular vocabulary.
I remember him emerging as this very mysterious, almost faceless singer.
And then he became a mainstream pop artist.
“Scared to Leave” is just the perfect pop song.
“Snowchild” sounds like early Weeknd.
I adore “Blinding Lights.”
I decided to cover it because I could hear the very bare version of that song.
Like, it can be very fragile.
I think he has a knack for writing good melodies and very good stories.
It’s just very melodic, but quite daring.
As told to Alex Suskind
Megan Thee Stallion
With two No.
Here, singerCiaraprofesses her love for the Houston rapper.
The first time I heardMegan’s music I knew she was an absolute force as an artist and performer.
And she did all of that while still attending college.
She is unapologetically herself and exudes a level of confidence young girls should aspire to.
She took what it means to be a “Hot Girl” and gave it power and purpose.
It is female empowerment on every level.
She does not shy away from calling out the injustices and fighting for what’s rightfully hers.
She is an important voice for not only women but especially Black women.
I think we will be feeling her impact on the music industry for a long time.
To say that the rise of her career has been meteoric would be an understatement.
She’s an impressive tour de force, and I’m glad I got to see her in action.
I’ll also be forever grateful to her for turning me on to Sushi Park.
Liz, you were right, it was completely worth it!
Here, he’s honored by hisProject PowercostarJoseph Gordon-Levitt.
I’ve been a fan ever sinceIn Living Color; he’s made me laugh and cry.
When the opportunity to be in this movie came to me, working with him was the number-one appeal.
It just makes me all that more honored to get to be his collaborator and his friend.
The first time I worked withSarah, she was portraying conjoined twins.
The set was fun and carefree.
Suddenly the time in between takes was quieter, the mood colder.
I’d think, “Is Sarah mad at me, or is that just Dot?”
Many people this year may have had a similar experience watching bothMrs.
Two parts wildly opposite, for reasons much deeper than the blessings of makeup and hair and accent.
She is an actress who can change her temperature, her frequency, the vibration in which she operates.
It’s subtle, it’s energetic.
It’s a scalpel, not an ax.
I’m pretty sure that means she’s an artist.
Entertainers of the Year illustrations byLizzie Gill.
(you’re free to also pick up the full set of six covershere.
