VH1 ANNOUNCES FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND MOTHER'S DAY HONORS EVENT

"DEAR MAMA," HOSTED BY COMEDY SUPERSTAR ANTHONY ANDERSON AND PREMIERING ON SUNDAY, MAY 8TH AT 9 PM ET/PT

QUEEN LATIFAH TO HONOR HER MOM; TREY, JADEN AND WILLOW SMITH TO SALUTE JADA PINKETT-SMITH

FLAVOR UNIT PARTNERS WITH JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT TO PRODUCE

Los Angeles, CA (April 14, 2016) - This Mother's Day VH1, Flavor Unit and Jesse Collins Entertainment will shine the spotlight on the most important women in the world -- our Moms. This is not a typical honors show though -- the stars will step aside and put their mothers center stage to celebrate the women who sacrificed so much for their success. VH1's one-hour special event "Dear Mama," will premiere Sunday, May 8 at 9 PM ET/PT.

Anthony Anderson (ABC's "Blackish") will kick off VH1's Mother's Day celebration as this year's host and will also honor his hilarious mom, Doris Bowman. The event will feature multifaceted superstar Queen Latifah honoring her mother Rita Owens, a single mother and former high school teacher in Newark, New Jersey. Trey, Jaden and Willow Smith will also join the mom-fest to honor Hollywood powerhouse Jada Pinkett-Smith. Additional honorary mothers will be announced soon.

VH1's Dear Mama special will bring together A-list celebrities and their mothers and families for a Mother's Day event full of jaw-dropping surprises and heart-felt tributes. Through custom-designed honoree tributes, the moms will truly feel special while viewers will get to see the incredible bond these women have with their famous offspring, and how their influence contributes so greatly to their success.

"We are excited to shine the spotlight on the influential and inspiring women behind some of our favorite celebrities, their Moms," said Amy Doyle, EVP/Deputy General Manager, VH1. Our 'Dear Mama' special event gives our famous friends the stage to salute and thank their moms with their own tributes full of surprises, laughter and love."

"Every story we've told, every show we produced, every film we've been a part of wouldn't be possible without our mothers," said Flavor Unit Founder, Shakim Compere, "so how could we not do a tribute to them."

The special will be taped on Tuesday, May 3rd at St. Bart's Church in New York.

Join the conversation on Twitter with @VH1 and @VH1Celebrity using #DearMamaVH1 For additional updates, 'LIKE' VH1 and VH1 Celebrity on Facebook, or go to DearMama.VH1.com.

"Dear Mama" is being produced by Flavor Unit with Shakim Compere and Queen Latifah as Executive Producers along with Jesse Collins Entertainment with Jesse Collins, Rikki Hughes and Jeannae Rouzan as Executive Producers. For VH1, Amy Doyle and Ryan Kroft are Executive Producers, Elena Diaz is Executive in Charge of Talent, Andria Parides is Supervising Producer and Joe Buoye is Executive in Charge of Production.

ABOUT VH1

VH1 is the dominant pop culture brand for adults 18-34, creating their pop culture today while celebrating the pop culture of their past. VH1 is available in 93 million households in the U.S. VH1 also has an array of digital channels and services including VH1 Classic, VH1 Soul, the VH1 App, VH1.com and @VH1, the hub for all things music and pop culture. Fans may also access current and retro VH1 programming via the VH1 App, the network's three-in-one video, new form content and co-viewing app, available for free on iOS and Android platforms. VH1 is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT

Jesse Collins Entertainment is a full service television and film production company founded by entertainment industry veteran Jesse Collins. For more than a decade, Collins has played an integral role in producing some of television's most memorable moments in music entertainment. Formerly Executive Producer/EVP of Cossette Productions, Collins has produced ground-breaking and award winning television programming including the BET Awards, the GRAMMY Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Honors, UNCF An Evening of Stars, ABFF Awards and the BET Hip Hop Awards. Collins is an executive producer of the hit TV series, Real Husbands of Hollywood starring Kevin Hart and the upcoming original miniseries based on the iconic music group New Edition. He has worked with a myriad of superstar talent including Will Smith, Chris Rock, Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Prince and Mariah Carey. Go to http://www.jessecollinsent.com/ for more information on the company.