Questlove Jumps Into Sci-Fi With "The Rhythm of Time" | Securing the Bag: Part 1
Subtitles
  • Off
  • English

The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities

The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities

Rihanna has added another wax figure doppelganger to her collection of statues.

We may earn a commission from links on this page.
Start Slideshow
Start Slideshow
Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris (Getty Images)

Let’s be honest: There’s something inherently creepy about wax figures. Whether they’re spot on perfect or shockingly bad, it feels like they may come to life at any moment and kill you. With a new statue at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong, Rihanna is back in the wax figure conversation. Like all things RiRi, the internet absolutely has opinions on her new figure. While you’re deciding where you stand, take a look at our roundup of the best and worst Black celebrity wax figures.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

Rihanna

Advertisement

At this point Rih has enough wax figures to start her terrifying, yet fierce, bad girl army. The newest addition is located at Madame Tussauds Hong Kong and is wearing a matching FENTY orange dress and trench coat. It’s based on a look the Grammy winner wore in February 2020 to the launch of FENTY at Bergdorf Goodman in New York.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

3 / 38

Lil Wayne

Lil Wayne

Advertisement

The Hollywood Wax Museum in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. did not do rap legend Lil Wayne any favors with its figure. It looks nothing like him. It’s more like they had an old Steph Curry one in the storage room and tried to repurpose it. The “A Milli” artist weighed in on the creation, posting, “Sorry wax museum but dat shit ain’t me! You tried tho and I appreciate the effort.” Yeah, they need to go back to the drawing board on this one.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

4 / 38

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson

Advertisement

The Rock was involved in creating his Madame Tussauds figure, which is why it looks just like him. The Musee Grevin in Paris clearly went a different way, leading to widespread internet mockery of its figure. It looks like they started out doing Mr. Clean and tried to turn it into Dwayne Johnson. The man himself had to weigh in on Instagram, writing, “I’m going to have my team reach out to our friends at Grevin Museum, in Paris France so we can work at ‘updating’ my wax figure here with some important details and improvements- starting with my skin color.” Come on guys, he’s the biggest movie star in the world! Do better.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

Beyoncé

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Madame Tussauds

Madame Tussauds New York is celebrating Queen Bey’s record-breaking Renaissance tour with a new wax figure featuring her iconic 2018 Coachella Homecoming look.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

6 / 38

Billy Porter

Billy Porter

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Jamie McCarthy (Getty Images)

The Emmy winner’s wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York is identical to the Pose star and showcases his memorable blue jumpsuit and curtain from the 2020 Grammys.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

7 / 38

Tupac Shakur

Tupac Shakur

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Madame Tussauds

Fresh off being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Tupac is being celebrated at home, in Oakland, Calif. With the return of his wax figure to Madame Tussauds San Francisco. The rap legend’s figure was one of the first added to the Northern California location in 2014 and has also been featured in the Hollywood museum. When it was originally created, the figure took artists six months to bring to life.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

8 / 38

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Kevin Dietsch (Getty Images)

Vice President Harris’ term is full of firsts. Though we’re betting that being the first US Vice President with a wax figure at Madame Tussauds New York was probably not on her radar.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

9 / 38

Kamala Harris’ Wax Figure

Kamala Harris’ Wax Figure

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

10 / 38

Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Kevin Winter (Getty Images)

The Rock looks like he was chiseled out of actual stone, so it makes perfect sense that he has four wax figures. They are featured at Madame Tussauds New York, Hollywood, Las Vegas, and Orlando. They look so much like him, I’m waiting for one to hit a Rock Bottom on somebody.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

11 / 38

Dwayne Johnson’s Wax Figure

Dwayne Johnson’s Wax Figure

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

12 / 38

Lil Nax X

Lil Nax X

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic (Getty Images)

While no wax figure can imitate Lil Nas X’s effervescent personality, his statue is a spot on replica of the Grammy-winner. In fact, it was so well done, he pranked his friends by using the figure to FaceTime them.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

13 / 38

Lil Nas X’s Wax Figure

Lil Nas X’s Wax Figure

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

Rihanna

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Jamie McCarthy (Getty Images)

The “Diamonds” singer has multiple wax figures at various museums around the world. Her newest one, based on her 2018 Met Gala look, can be found at Madame Tussauds New York. She will also have a figure based on her Super Bowl LVII look revealed later in the year at Madame Tussauds Orlando.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

15 / 38

Rihanna’s Wax Figure

Rihanna’s Wax Figure

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Madame Tussauds/Twitter
Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

16 / 38

Angela Bassett

Angela Bassett

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Gilbert Flores/Variety (Getty Images)

Honestly, if Angela Bassett ever needs to take a break from photo lines or has to do a dangerous stunt on 9-1-1, she can just send in her figure. The resemblance is spooky.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

17 / 38

Angela Bassett’s Wax Figure

Angela Bassett’s Wax Figure

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

18 / 38

Jennifer Hudson

Jennifer Hudson

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Frazer Harrison (Getty Images)

The EGOT-winner’s statue is at Madame Tussauds New York – Times Square. The talk show host participated in a “sitting” where “more than 200 measurements were taken to capture the singer and actor’s exact features.” Having her involvement in the figure’s creation certainly made all the difference.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

19 / 38

Jennifer Hudson’s Wax Figure

Jennifer Hudson’s Wax Figure

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Bruce Glikas (Getty Images)
Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

20 / 38

Beyoncé

Beyoncé

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Emma McIntyre (Getty Images)

There’s only one Beyoncé. However, this version from Madame Tussaud’s Berlin is probably the best figure we’ve seen of Queen Bey.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

21 / 38

Beyoncé’s Wax Figure

Beyoncé’s Wax Figure

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

22 / 38

Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris (Getty Images)

When Nicki Minaj’s wax figure was unveiled in 2015 at Madame Tussaud’s Las Vegas, fans were immediately upset about the fact that a Black woman was put in a questionable position. Mirroring a scene from her “Anaconda” video, she was on all fours, with her butt in the air. The pose inspired visitors to take sexually suggestive photos. Turns out Nicki was in on the whole process and was fine with the figure.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

23 / 38

Nicki Minaj’s Wax Figure

Nicki Minaj’s Wax Figure

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

24 / 38

Naomi Campbell

Naomi Campbell

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain (Getty Images)

Naomi Campbell is one of the most beautiful women in the world. Seems like it would be a slam dunk to make her look gorgeous. Somehow Musee Grevin in Paris managed to mess it up.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

25 / 38

Naomi Campbell’s Wax Figure

Naomi Campbell’s Wax Figure

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

26 / 38

Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Phil Walter (Getty Images)

Michael Jackson had several different looks in his long career, so there have been countless figures made of the superstar. The more recent ones seem to look more like him, as artists always had problems with his darker skin tone.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

27 / 38

Michael Jackson’s Wax Figure

Michael Jackson’s Wax Figure

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Tim Whitby (Getty Images)
Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

Lizzo

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Kevin Winter (Getty Images)

The Grammy-winner just unveiled her figure at Madame Tussauds Las Vegas in January, The interactive display is based on her 2019 BET Awards performance and sits on top of a giant wedding cake.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

29 / 38

Lizzo’s Wax Figure

Lizzo’s Wax Figure

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Madame Tussaud’s/Twitter
Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

30 / 38

LeBron James

LeBron James

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Harry How (Getty Images)

Let’s be honest: LeBron totally wishes he had the hair his wax figure at the Museo de Cera in Mexico City has.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

31 / 38

LeBron James’ Wax Figure

LeBron James’ Wax Figure

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Hector Vivas (Getty Images)
Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

32 / 38

Al Roker

Al Roker

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Jamie McCarthy (Getty Images)

This statue of America’s favorite weatherman isn’t that bad, but no wax figure will ever capture Al Roker’s infectious positivity and enthusiasm.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

33 / 38

Al Roker’s Wax Figure

Al Roker’s Wax Figure

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Cindy Ord (Getty Images)
Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

34 / 38

Serena Williams

Serena Williams

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Tasos Katopodis (Getty Images)

This is very close and Serena seems happy with the finished product. But, if I’m being honest, the Madame Tussauds New York figure looks more like Venus than Serena.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

35 / 38

Serena Williams’ Wax Figure

Serena Williams’ Wax Figure

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Bryan Bedder (Getty Images)
Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

36 / 38

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Mike Coppola (Getty Images)

Madame Tussaud’s London has a whole Royal Family display. When they decided to step down as senior royals, the museum removed Harry and Meghan from the attraction. However, in 2022 the couple was back in the picture. It’s always something with those royals.

Advertisement
Previous Slide
Next Slide

37 / 38

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s Wax Figures

Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s Wax Figures

Image for article titled The Best and Worst Wax Figures of Black Celebrities
Photo: Entertainment Tonight/Twitter
Advertisement