Jim Parsons to Receive Stephen F. Kolzak Award at 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards

New York, NY – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today announced that it will honor actor and producer Jim Parsons at the 29^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at Beverly Hilton on Thursday, April 12, 2018. GLAAD previously announced that global icon Britney Spears will receive the Vanguard Award for her support of the LGBTQ community and that Olympian Adam Rippon will also appear at the event.

The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to accelerate acceptance of the LGBTQ community. The 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented by Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Ketel One Vodka, and Wells Fargo.

Parsons will receive GLAAD’s Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which is presented to an LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in promoting LGBTQ acceptance. The award is named after a legendary casting director, who devoted the last part of his life to raising awareness in the entertainment industry about the discrimination faced by LGBTQ people as well as people living with HIV. Previous Stephen F. Kolzak honorees include Laverne Cox, Ellen DeGeneres, Troye Sivan, Ruby Rose, Chaz Bono, Wanda Sykes, Melissa Etheridge, Alan Ball, Pedro Zamora, Martina Navratilova, Paris Barclay, Robert Greenblatt, and Sir Ian McKellen.

Jim Parsons is a multi-award winning actor and producer who will next be seen in A Kid Like Jake opposite Claire Danes and Octavia Spencer. The film is helmed by transgender director Silas Howard and premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and will be distributed by IFC films. Parsons produced the film through That’s Wonderful Productions which he runs with his husband Todd Spiewak. The film is set for release in June 2018. Parsons has become a fan favorite for his role as Sheldon Cooper in the long-running sitcom The Big Bang Theory and is also an executive producer and narrator on the CBS hit Young Sheldon. 

Parsons will next appear on Broadway in the revival of the iconic comic drama The Boys in the Band which opens on May 31, 2018. The landmark 1968 play was a theatrical game-changer with its focus on a group of gay men in New York City who gather for a friend’s birthday party. The new production is produced by Ryan Murphy and David Stone and directed by Joe Mantello. Jim Parsons co-stars with Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, and Andrew Rannells, Charlie Carver, Robin de Jesus, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington and Tuc Watkins in the highly anticipated production. In 2014, Parsons starred in The Normal Heart, HBO’s original movie adaptation of the Tony Award-winning Larry Kramer play, written by Kramer and directed by Ryan Murphy. Parsons portrayed gay activist Tommy Boatwright, reprising his role from the 2011 Broadway revival. Parsons earned an Emmy nomination for his performance, and the film won an Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie and a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding TV Movie.

“Jim Parsons’ talent, humor, and impressive body of work have made him one of the most visible and beloved out LGBTQ actors today,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO. “Parsons not only proudly tells LGBTQ stories through his roles, but also works behind the camera with his husband Todd to tell LGBTQ stories that raise the bar for Hollywood and inspire acceptance.”

In January, GLAAD announced 125 nominees in 21 English-language categories and 16 Spanish-language nominees in 4 categories. The nominees for the 29^thAnnual GLAAD Media Awards were announced during the Sundance Film Festival by actors Wilson Cruz (“13 Reasons Why,” “Star Trek: Discovery”) and Trace Lysette (“Transparent”). Nominees across entertainment and news media included This Is Us, Call Me by Your Name, Lady Bird, Battle of the Sexes, A Fantastic Woman, Billions, The Voice, Will & Grace, Andi Mack, Halsey, Kesha, Kehlani, Teen Vogue, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah,NBC Nightly News, HuffPost, and CNN en Español. GLAAD announced a Special Recognition Award for Jay-Z’s song and music video “Smile” featuring his mother Gloria Carter who used the song to come out as a lesbian as well as a Special Recognition Award to the animated short film In A Heartbeat. Nominees can be found here: www.glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees

Additional special guests and honorees from the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles will be announced in the coming weeks.

To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards. The New York GLAAD Media Awards ceremony will take place on May 5 at the New York Hilton Midtown.

The 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards corporate partners include Presenting Partners Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Ketel One Vodka, and Wells Fargo. GLAAD is also grateful to: Official Partner Bud Light; Platinum Partners 21st Century Fox, Allstate Insurance Company, AT&T, Creative Arts Agency (CAA), Comcast NBCUniversal | Telemundo, Disney ABC Television Group | ESPN, Hyundai, Kaiser Permanente, Kelley Drye, MetLife, NBA | WNBA, Netflix, Omnicom Group, SheppardMullin, Southwest Airlines, and Turner; Gold Partners CBS | Showtime, Nielsen, PwC, UM, Univision, Warner Bros.; and Silver Partners Coca-Cola, Major League Baseball, Morgan Stanley, Skadden, and WWE. For a full list of corporate partners and information on how to become a corporate partner, purchase tickets, and place a tribute in the tribute book, please visit www.glaad.org/mediaawards.