BBC apologises for mistaking Viola Davis for Beyonce

BBC News has apologised after using a photo of Viola Davis in Grammy's coverage about Beyoncé.

A photo of the How to Get Away with Murder actor appeared on screen during broadcaster’s nighttime live coverage of the 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5.

Alongside the photo of Davis, was the chyron that read: "Beyoncé's big night."

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Viewers quickly took to social media to point out the mistake, posting clips and photos of the error.

One person wrote: "Who’s gonna tell @BBCNews?”

"Hey @BBCNews@BBCWorld this is a bad look for you. Viola Davis is not Beyonce. They don't even look alike nor have the same hue," another person said.

Someone else added: "I’m guessing it’s a mistake but with all their resources BBC have zero excuse for this."

BBC News have since released a statement on Monday, February 6, where the news outlet apologised for the blunder.

“We apologise for the mistake last night when our news channels briefly showed a photograph of Viola Davis from January’s Golden Globes alongside a headline about Beyoncé at yesterday’s Grammys,” it wrote.

"This fell below the BBC’s usual standards."

Beyoncé made history at the 2023 Grammy's by becoming the most decorated artists of all time with 32 Grammy Awards to her name in total after taking home four Grammys on the night, winning dance/electronic recording, dance/electronic album, R&B performance and R&B song.

Meanwhile Davis secured her name in the history books too by achieving an EGOT (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony Award) after winning Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling award for "Finding Me."

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