Lathan received both the 2003 Diversity Award and the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Caucus for Producers, Writers and Directors. He has received six NAACP Image Awards for his achievements in film and television. He was honored in 2014 by the Directors Guild of America for his directing career. In 2017, he received the Trailblazer Award from the Apollo Theater in Harlem. In 2018, he was nominated for a DGA Award for his direction of the comedy special Dave Chappelle: "The Age of Spin" and received a 2018 Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album for the same special and Dave Chappelle: "Deep in the Heart of Texas".