Veteran NBC Newswoman Andrea Mitchell and NBC’s Comedy series “Saturday Night Live” will be honored at the 85th annual Peabody Awards ceremony, which will be held on June 1 in Beverly Hills, California, announced on Tuesday.
Mitchell, who currently serves as NBC News Chief Washington and Chief Foreign Affairs correspondent, will receive the Peabody Career Achievement Award. Mitchell joins an elite list of former Honorees, which includes Mel Brooks, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, Dan rather, Cicely Tyson and Carol Burnett.
Mitchell has been with NBC News for almost five decades, three of them as head of foreign issues. During her term of office at the news organization, she has covered eight white house administrations, a dozen presidential elections, several wars and landmark global events. She previously won a Peabody Prize for her coverage of Texas Aborting Ban and was honored with a Lifetime Award from Television Academy at News and Documentary Emmy Awards 2019.
“Saturday Night Live”, currently in its 50th season, will receive the Peabody Institutional Award. It joins programs like “Star Trek”, “The Simpsons”, “60 minutes”, “Fresh Air with Terry Gross” and “Sesame Street” as the former recipient of honor.
Winners of the Three Peabody Awards, along with 101 Emmys and six WGA awards, “SNL” have remained a comedy and pop culture institution since its launch five decades ago under the leadership of creator Lorne Michaels. The Sketch series has produced memorable characters, from Roseanne Roseannadanna to stem, satirized politicians and presidents and commented on heading news through “Weekend Update” segment.
“Andrea Mitchell has set the standard for news correspondents with unmatched coverage of politics and foreign policy for more than three decades. She has literally erected the world to give us stories that have shaped history,” said Jeffrey Jones, CEO of Peabody, in a statement.
“And ‘Saturday Night Live’ is a cultural touch stone that has kept the audience set for five decades through its groundbreaking ski comedy, Pinpoint Political Satire and always relevant musical guests,” Jones continued. “We are pleased to recognize Mitchell and the” SNL “community with these special Peabody awards.”
The Peabody Awards Spotlight Stories “which defends general interest, encourages empathy and extends our understanding of the world.” Recipients of Peabody, which include categories in entertainment, documentary and news, are elected each year by a lawyer’s board through unanimous vote.
Nominated for the Peabody Awards will be announced April 15 and 17, with winners revealed May 1.
Stand-up comedian and documentary producer Roy Wood Jr. has been dropped to host the Peabody Awards ceremony.
