Anthony Anderson and La La Anthony hosted VH1’s “Dear Mama: A Love Letter to Mom” annual Mother’s Day event at The Theatre at Ace Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, CA. During the event, guests were treated to performances by Ashanti, H.E.R., Luke James, Monica, Shai and SWV along with special presentations and appearances by Ciara, T.I., and Tameka “Tiny” Harris.

VH1’S “DEAR MAMA: A LOVE LETTER TO MOM” Celebration Premieres on
Monday, May 6^th at 10pm ET/PT

• Emmy® and Golden Globe® nominee Anthony Anderson opened the show to roaring applause with a funny opening monologue where he gave Ciara ‘most of’ his cell phone number before treating the audience to an impromptu performance to kick off the night.
• Ciara (wearing Stephane Rolland), participated in the special on behalf of #SeeHer to honor deserving moms in attendance for the strides they’ve made in support of the group’s mission of increasing accurate representation of women and girls in advertising and media.
• Prior to her appearance, the audience gushed over a video of Ciara and Russell Wilson’s daughter imitating her mom –

 

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• Grammy Award®-winning artist Ashanti (wearing Lena Berisha) performed her smash-hit “Foolish” along with the appropriate “Mother” in tribute to her mom who helped shaped her success.
• Grammy Award®-winning artist and MTV PUSH Global Artist H.E.R. took the stage for a heartfelt tribute to her mother on the piano (who watched proudly from the audience with tears in her eyes), as she performed a cover of Donny Hathaway’s “A Song for You.”
• Following the performance, H.E.R. surprised her mom by bringing out her mother’s favorite groups Shai and SWV. It was a true throwback Thursday with the legendary R&B artists Shai who had the room singing along to “If I Ever Fall in Love,” while SWV got the entire audience on their feet with a special medley of hits including “I’m So into You” and “Right Here”
• “VH1’s “T.I. & Tiny: Friends & Family Hustle” star T.I. honored the powerful women in his life including his mom, Violetta Morgan, and his late sister, Precious Harris, along with his wife Tameka “Tiny” Harris and her mom, Dianne Cottle-Pope.
• In honor of his late sister Precious, “a single mother who worked to make life better for everyone she encountered,” T.I. partnered with VH1 and Philander Smith College to award a deserving student a scholarship in her name. T.I. surprised the deserving recipient, Tierani Scott, a single mother and junior at Philander Smith College in the room with $25,000 toward her studies and the Q.U.E.E.N. women’s empowerment organization she created. Philander Smith College is historically Black, four-year liberal arts institution (HBCU) and a member of the United Negro College Fund.
• Grammy Award®-nominated artist Luke James performed a special rendition of The Manhattans hit song “Shining Star” in honor of all the mothers in the room including his own and thanked her saying, “My mother did an amazing job raising me….she introduced me to her beautiful taste in music….She laid out the path for my musical destiny.”
• Grammy Award®-winner Monica, who stars on VH1’s “Friends & Family Hustle” performed “Angel of Mine” in honor of her mom, Marilyn P. Best. Monica’s daughter then stole the show when she took the stage to deliver her flowers.
• At the end of the show, H.E.R. surprised her mom again by bringing her to stage and having the entire cast of performers and participants sing her several renditions of “Happy Birthday” to close out the evening.

For more information, please go to DearMama.VH1.com. Follow @VH1 on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube and use #DearMamaVH1 to join the conversation.