“RUPAUL’S DRAG RACE” STAR SHANGELA TO HOST THE 30TH ANNUAL GLAAD MEDIA AWARDS ON MAY 4 IN NEW YORK

MADONNA TO RECEIVE ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE AWARD FROM ANDERSON COOPER AND ANDY COHEN TO RECEIVE VITO RUSSO AWARD FROM SARAH JESSICA PARKER 

Additional guests include Emmy & Golden Globe Award-winner Rachel Brosnahan, Winnie Harlow, Don Lemon, Samantha Bee, Emmy Award-winning Ryan Murphy and the cast of FX’s “Pose”

Logo to Broadcast 30^th Anniversary Ceremony on Sunday, May 12 at 8pm ET/PT

New York City, NY, April 11, 2019 – GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, announced today that actor and performer Shangela will host the 30^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York, while CNN news anchor Anderson Cooper will present the Advocate For Change Award to previously announced honoree Madonna, on Saturday, May 4, 2019 at the New York Hilton Midtown. Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning actress Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), model and activist Winnie Harlow, multiple Emmy and GLAAD Media Award-winning director and producer Ryan Murphy (“Pose”) will join previously announced special guests Samantha Bee (“Full Frontal”), CNN’s Don Lemon, and the cast of FX’s “Pose,” including 2017 GLAAD honoree Billy Porter. GLAAD previously announced that Sarah Jessica Parker will present the Vito Russo Award to Andy Cohen.

For the first time, GLAAD’s New York awards ceremony will be broadcast on Logo on Sunday, May 12, 2019 at 8pm ET/PT. The 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are supported by Presenting Partners Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Hyundai, Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, and Wells Fargo.

Actor and performer D.J. “Shangela” Pierce will host the event. Most recently, D.J. “Shangela” Pierce, brought the house down at GLAAD’s LA ceremony, where he performed a now viral Beyoncé tribute in front of honorees Beyoncé and JAY-Z. Shangela is best recognized as the only contestant to compete on three separate seasons of the Emmy-award winning reality series “RuPaul’s Drag Race” (seasons 2, 3 and All Stars 3).  In 2018, Shangela starred in the critically acclaimed film “A Star Is Born” opposite Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper and made headlines for walking the red carpet of the 91^st Annual Academy Awards. Shangela recently completed a 184 plus city international tour, performing his comedy and cabaret act to sold out audiences.

Anderson Cooper, anchor of CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360°,” will present the Advocate for Change Award to Madonna. Madonna famously presented Cooper with GLAAD’s Vito Russo Award at the 24^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. The Advocate for Change Award was given once before and is presented to a LGBTQ ally who, through their work, changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.

GLAAD previously announced that “Watch What Happens Live!” host Andy Cohen will receive this year’s Vito Russo Award, which is presented to an openly LGBTQ media professional who has made a significant difference in accelerating LGBTQ acceptance. The Award is named for 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. Actress Sarah Jessica Parker will present the honor to Cohen.

GLAAD previously announced 151 nominees for the 30^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in 27 categories, including an inaugural category for Outstanding Video Game, along with Kids & Family Programming, Comedy and Drama Series, Documentary, Reality Series, Music Artist, Comic Book, print, broadcast, and online news, and five Spanish-language categories.

Nominees included Love Simon, Crazy Rich Asians, The Favourite, Pose, Schitt’s Creek, The Handmaid’s Tale, Nanette, Janelle Monáe, Hayley Kiyoko, Troye Sivan, American Idol, She-Ra, Law & Order: SVU, Don Lemon, Stephen Colbert, Samantha Bee, Univision, MSNBC, Ebony, GQ, CNN, and The New York Times.

For a full list of nominees: /mediaawards/nominees 

On social please follow @GLAAD and #glaadawards

The 30th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are supported by Presenting Partners Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Hyundai, Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, and Wells Fargo. GLAAD is also grateful to: Official Partners Bud Light and Google; Titanium Partner AT&T and WEN; Platinum Partners Comcast NBCUniversal-Telemundo, Creative Artists Agency, Disney ABC Television Group, Facebook/Instagram, HBO, Hulu, Kaiser Permanente, MetLife, NBA & WNBA, Netflix, Omnicom Group, PRG, Sheppard Mullin, and Turner; Gold Partners CBS/Showtime, Nielsen, PWC, UM, Univision, and VER; and Silver Partners Allstate, Coca-Cola, Major League Baseball, Morgan Stanley, and Warner Bros. 

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About GLAAD:

GLAAD rewrites the script for LGBTQ acceptance. As a dynamic media force, GLAAD tackles tough issues to shape the narrative and provoke dialogue that leads to cultural change. GLAAD protects all that has been accomplished and creates a world where everyone can live the life they love. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org or connect with GLAAD on Facebook and Twitter.

About Logo

Logo is a leading entertainment brand inspired by the LGBTQ community and reflects the creative class across television, digital and social platforms.  Logo features one-of-a-kind personalities, series, specials, documentaries and unique stories.

About Ketel One Family-Made Vodka

Created in the Netherlands – the first progressive country to legalize marriage equality – Ketel One Family-Made Vodka is proud to partner with GLAAD for the ninth consecutive year. As a longstanding ally of the LGBTQ community, Ketel One Vodka is excited to once again join GLAAD, honoring those who work tirelessly to accelerate acceptance while simultaneously raising awareness of the social and civil causes that impact them.

Contact:

Rich Ferraro, GLAAD

rferraro@glaad.org

Andy Gelb / Shawn Purdy, SLATE PR

andy@slate-pr.com / shawn@slate-pr.com

If you would like to cover this event, please fill out the online application by Monday, April 22: https://slatepr.wufoo.com/forms/q1d83jew0vyynzo/