Jennifer Hudson and Orville Peck will be honored at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York on May 11.
GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, has announced that that two-time GRAMMY Award-winning recording artist, Academy Award-winning actress, and Tony and Emmy Award-winning producer, and host of the Emmy-Nominated “The Jennifer Hudson Show,” Jennifer Hudson will receive GLAAD’s Excellence in Media Award and groundbreaking country artist Orville Peck will receive the Vito Russo Award at the 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York, which will be hosted by Emmy-winning television host and producer, Ross Mathews.
GLAAD’s Excellence in Media Award is presented to allies who have made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people. Previous Excellence in Media Award honorees include Marren Morris, Judith Light, Ava DuVernay, Patti LaBelle, Debra Messing, Tyra Banks, Julianne Moore, Barbara Walters Diane Sawyer and more.
“A multi-hyphenate talent who uses her platform and influence across media to support and uplift LGBTQ people, Jennifer Hudson’s allyship is thoughtful, loud, and powerful,” said GLAAD President & CEO Sarah Kate Ellis. “Most recently, she champions our community on her talk show by regularly shining a bright light on inspiring LGBTQ changemakers for audiences everywhere.”
This year “The Jennifer Hudson Show” is nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode for the episode “Jennifer Hudson Surprises HIV Activist with $10,000.”
The Vito Russo Award is presented to a LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in accelerating LGBTQ acceptance. The Award is named after Vito Russo, a founder of GLAAD and celebrated ACT UP activist, who pushed open the door for news and entertainment industries to include LGBTQ performers and stories. Previous Vito Russo honorees include Wilson Cruz, Billy Porter, Anderson Cooper, Ricky Martin, Andy Cohen, RuPaul, Cynthia Nixon, Samira Wiley, and George Takei, among others.
“Orville Peck has paved a new frontier for artists in a genre historically exclusionary of queer voices. By boldly navigating country music as an out gay man and collaborating with legends like Willie Nelson and Lady Gaga, Peck has cemented himself in the industry and showed our community that they belong in all spaces,” said GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis.
The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. Since its inception in 1990, the GLAAD Media Awards have grown to be the most visible annual LGBTQ awards show in the world, sending powerful messages of acceptance to audiences globally.
