Jennifer Hudson and Orville Peck to Be Honored at GLAAD Media Awards in New York

GLAAD is putting the finishing touches on the program for its East Coast awards gala by confirming Jennifer Hudson and Orville Peck for top honors and media personality Ross Mathews to front the affair as host.

The GLAAD Media Awards — set for May 11 at the Hilton Midtown — will honor Hudson with an excellence in media award while country artist Peck will take home a Vito Russo award. Hudson will receive the trophy for being an ally who has “made a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people.” She’ll join a roster of honorees that includes Marren Morris, Judith Light, Ava DuVernay, Patti LaBelle, Debra Messing, Tyra Banks, Julianne Moore, Barbra Walters, Diane Sawyer and more.

“A multihyphenate 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 and 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.”

The Jennifer Hudson Show is nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for outstanding variety or talk show episode for the installment “Jennifer Hudson Surprises HIV Activist with $10,000.”

The Vito Russo award is doled out to an “LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in accelerating LGBTQ acceptance.” Previous 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 Ellis.

The New York edition of the GLAAD Media Awards follows the recent Los Angeles gala, hosted by Wayne Brady and featuring honorees like Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts. The 35th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York is presented by Gilead Sciences and Hyundai Motor America, with Official Sponsors Delta Air Lines, Ketel One Family Made Vodka, and Sony Music Group.

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