Rich Ross, President, Disney Channel Worldwide, said, "Diversity has long been a guidepost for our programming, for us it represents kids 'seeing themselves on TV,' encompassing color and race but also physical abilities, religious backgrounds, differing body types and even geographic locales. We are so proud of the work Raven, Kyla, Tommy and Jo Marie deliver in our series and we are thrilled that the great Wayne Brady has been acknowledged for his work in our DCOM. These projects represent diverse characters in believable settings without reverting to stereotypes and we warmly congratulate our stars for bringing 'home' this honor."
Megastar Raven, the first African American female to have her name in a comedy series title, received her fourth nomination of her career and her second nomination for her starring role in Disney Channel's #1 rated sitcom That's So Raven. The sitcom is also basic cable's #1 program with Girls age 9-14. Last year Raven won her first-ever NAACP Image Award for her work on the series, in the category Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Program. Kyla Pratt, Tommy Davidson and Jo Marie Payton were nominated for their work in the acclaimed comedy The Proud Family, the first animated TV series to feature an African American female as the central character. Pratt provides the voice of tween Penny Proud; Davidson stars as her loving yet goofy dad Oscar; and Payton stars as Penny's hip-to-the-groove-granny Suga Mama. This marks Pratt's fifth nomination, Davidson's fourth nomination and Payton's second nomination. Their series will spin off into a Disney Channel Original Movie this summer.
Comedian and actor Wayne Brady was nominated in the Outstanding Actor in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatic Special category for his role as blind high school music teacher Mason Wyatt in Going to the Mat, part of Disney Channel's Original Movie franchise. This marks Brady's first-ever NAACP Image Award nomination.
That's So Raven is televised daily (7:30 p.m., ET/PT) and The Proud Family is broadcast daily (4:30 p.m., ET/PT) on Disney Channel. Both series are also broadcast on the ABC Television Network's "ABC Kids" on Saturday mornings.
About Disney Channel: The Disney Channel is a 24-hour general entertainment television network that taps into the world of kids and families through original series and movies plus contemporary acquired programming. Available on basic cable in over 85 million homes, Disney Channel is part of Disney ABC Cable Networks Group, a division of The Walt Disney Company.