The 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards, which honor fair and inclusive LGBTQ+ representation in media, took place on May 11 in New York City, with an evening of stars and performances.
Among those honored during the awards ceremony was actress and producer Jennifer Hudson, 42, who received GLAAD’s Award for Excellence in Media for her work promoting allyship and acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and issues.
Marren Morris, Julianne Moore and Tyra Banks have received the same award in the past, and in 2007 Hudson herself presented it to the legendary singer and actress Patti LaBelle.
In her acceptance speech, Hudson shared her thanks before telling the audience: “You are beautiful. You are amazing. Do you all know how beautiful you are? Do you know that your stories deserve to be told?”
Jennifer Hudson at the 2024 GLAAD Media Awards at the New York Hilton Midtown on May 11, 2024 in New York City.
Taylor Hill/FilmMagic
She continued her heartfelt speech by talking about how welcome and loved the GLAAD community feels, as well as giving a nod to LaBelle.
“You guys have made me feel safe, loved my whole life. Welcome. And so it’s my mission to do the same. It’s about using your voice,” she said, adding, “I remember actually presenting Ms. Patti LaBelle with this exact same award , I think it was 17 years ago.”
Husdon then talked about “inspirations like herself and also the late great lady Aretha Franklin,” explaining that “they’ve always been advocates of telling me to use your voice. But it goes beyond the song.”
“And I want to say that to all of us in this room. Keep using your voice. And it’s nothing like seeing others blessed by your blessings. And that’s what Show Jennifer Hudson represents, gathers everything together. I want everyone to feel like they matter. Have a safe place. Feel celebrated. Whatever you’re going through, if you want to be celebrated, just know you always can, I’ve got you back. Jennifer Hudson will cheer you up. Okay?” she continued.
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Jennifer Hudson and Patti LaBelle during the 18th Annual GLAAD Media Awards New York – Show at the Marriott Marquis in New York, New York, United States in 2007.
M. Von Holden/WireImage
Hudson noted at the time that the moment made her think of her late mother, Darnell Donerson. “She used to say ‘I could show you better than I could tell you,'” the actress and TV host explained of her late mother, adding , “So sometimes it’s good to talk, but it’s more about investing in action, standing behind and with each other, supporting each other and helping to represent each other.”
“I hope you feel my heart. You are family. We are family,” she concluded her speech.
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Jennifer Hudson and Mary McDonnell appear onstage during the 35th GLAAD Media Awards in New York on May 11, 2024 in New York.
Bryan Bedder/Getty
The Hudson Show Show Jennifer Hudson he was also nominated for and won a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode for the episode “Jennifer Hudson Surprises HIV Activist With $10,000.”
The episode featured Ian Haddock, an HIV activist and founder of the Normal Anomalies Initiative, which supports queer-identifying Black people, and received a $10,000 check from the Gilead Compass Initiative.
At the iconic awards ceremony was Jennifer Lawrence, who presented the Vito Russo Award to country artist Orville Peck. Ross Matthews, co-host and producer The Drew Barrymore Show and RuPaul’s Drag Race, hosted the awards ceremony.
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South African country musician Orville Peck was also honored during the evening. He received the Vito Russo Award for his work as an LGBTQ-identifying media professional whose work has significantly helped LGBTQ+ acceptance. Peck joins the ranks of previous honorees such as Billy Porter, Anderson Cooper and Ricky Martin.
Scott Hoying of Pentatonix gave an exciting performance at the event and performed a duet with Loren Allred on the song “Come Alive”. Allred also sang “Never Enough” from The greatest showman.
Among other awards presented on the evening, Rustin won for Outstanding Motion Picture — Streaming Or TV, while the Red white and royal blue won the Queer Fan Favorite award. Tv show Heartstopper was awarded Outstanding Children’s and Family Program or Movie — Live Game and The last of us picked up an outstanding new series.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education