Less than a month before the virtual ceremony, GLAAD—the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization—announced that several Glee alums will come together to “honor the ten-year anniversary of Santana’s coming out as lesbian in the GLAAD Media Award-winning series and spotlight the character’s impact on LGBTQ teens and Latinx LGBTQ representation on television.” Here is everything we know about the GLAAD Awards 2021and the Glee reunion: 

When are the GLAAD Awards 2021?

The awards ceremony, which honors media for fair, accurate and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues, is taking place Thursday, April 8.

How to watch the GLAAD Awards 2021

GLAAD has partnered with Google to air the virtual ceremony on its YouTube channel April 8 at 8 p.m. ET. The ceremony will also stream on Hulu for the first time Thursday, April 8, at 10 p.m. ET and will be available to stream on-demand on Hulu through the end of June.

Who is the GLAAD Awards 2021 host?

Niecy Nash is set to host the 32nd annual GLAAD Media Awards. “I am so thrilled to be hosting this year’s GLAAD Media Awards, honoring the LGBTQ stories and images that change the world by growing acceptance and understanding,” Nash said in a previous press release. “My wife Jessica and I are still thriving in newlywed bliss, and I’m looking forward to bringing that love and joy to GLAAD’s biggest night. Be ready for a surprise or two!”  

Who is taking part in the Glee reunion for the GLAAD Awards?

Demi Lovato, who played Rivera’s onscreen girlfriend Dani on Glee, will introduce the cast of the show, which ended in 2015, as well as the tribute. The reunion will feature Glee starsJacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Vanessa Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Amber Riley, Harry ShumJr., Becca Tobin and Jenna Ushkowitz.  

Why isn’t Lea Michele participating in the Glee reunion?

Glee fans might have noticed that Lea Michele, who played Rachel Berry on Glee, is not participating in the tribute. When asked for comment on why Michele would not be partaking in the reunion, GLAAD told Parade.com, “GLAAD worked with a close-knit group of “Glee” cast members on a thoughtful way to recognize the impact that the character of Santana Lopez, played by Naya Rivera, had on young LGBTQ people, as we remember the character’s coming out on the series ten years ago.” Years before her death, Rivera elaborated in her memoir, Sorry Not Sorry: Dreams, Mistakes and Growing Up, on her and Michele’s “feud” but said that it was “blown out of proportion.” “One of the Glee writers once said that Lea and I were like two sides of the same battery and that about sums us up. We are both strong willed and competitive—not just with each other but with everyone—and that’s not a good mixture,” Rivera wrote (via E!). “As the show progressed, though, that friendship started to break down, especially as Santana moved from a background character to one with bigger plot lines and more screen time. I think Rachel—erm, I mean Lea—didn’t like sharing the spotlight.” Rivera claimed in her memoir that Michele did not say a word to her all of Season 6. She wrote, “Lea and I definitely weren’t the best of friends, and I doubt we’ll ever sit on her couch and eat kale together again, but the rumors of our ‘feud’ were blown out of proportion.”

Who else will be making appearances at the 2021 GLAAD Media Awards?

The star-studded lineup of special guests includes Ian Alexander, Molly Bernard, Matt Bomer, Jonathan Bennett, Bob The Drag Queen, Sterling K. Brown, Laverne Cox, Wilson Cruz, Mackenzie Davis, Robin de Jesús, Blu del Barrio, Nyle DiMarco, Colman Domingo, Clea DuVall, Brandee Evans, Dan Levy, Jim Parsons, DJ “Shangela” Pierce, Katy Perry, Eureka O’Hara, Anthony Rapp, Bretman Rock, JoJo Siwa, Sam Smith and the cast of Veneno.

Who are the 2021 GLAAD nominees?

Peacock’s Saved by the Bell and Schitt’s Creek are among the 198 nominees. GLAAD revealed that this year several categories increased from five to ten nominees “to recognize expanding levels of diverse LGBTQ representation across several media genres.” Outstanding Film - Wide ReleaseThe Craft: Legacy (Sony Pictures)Happiest Season (Hulu/TriStar Pictures)Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (Netflix)The Old Guard (Netflix)The Prom (Netflix) Outstanding Film - Limited ReleaseAmmonite (NEON)And Then We Danced (Music Box Films)The Boys in the Band (Netflix)The Half of It (Netflix)I Carry You With Me (Sony Pictures Classics)Kajillionaire (Focus Features)The Life Ahead (Netflix)Lingua Franca (ARRAY/Netflix)Monsoon (Strand Releasing)The True Adventures of Wolfboy (Vertical Entertainment) Outstanding DocumentaryCircus of Books (Netflix)Disclosure (Netflix)Equal (HBO Max)For They Know Not What They Do (First Run Features)Howard (Disney+)Mucho Mucho Amor (Netflix)Scream, Queen: My Nightmare on Elm Street (Virgil FIlms/Shudder)Visible: Out on Television (Apple TV+)We Are The Radical Monarchs (PBS POV)Welcome to Chechnya (HBO) Outstanding Comedy SeriesBig Mouth (Netflix)Dead to Me (Netflix)Everything’s Gonna Be Okay (Freeform)Harley Quinn (HBO Max)Love, Victor (Hulu)Saved by the Bell (Peacock)Schitt’s Creek (Pop)Sex Education (Netflix)Superstore (NBC)Twenties (BET) Outstanding Limited or Anthology SeriesDispatches from Elsewhere (AMC)The Haunting of Bly Manor (Netflix)Hollywood (Netflix)I May Destroy You (HBO)Little Fires Everywhere (Hulu) Outstanding Reality ProgramDeaf U (Netflix)Legendary (HBO Max)Queer Eye (Netflix)RuPaul’s Drag Race (VH1)We’re Here (HBO) Outstanding Kids & Family ProgrammingCraig of the Creek (Cartoon Network)Diary of a Future President (Disney+)First Day (Hulu)Kipo and The Age of Wonderbeasts (DreamWorks Animation/Netflix)The Loud House (Nickelodeon) “Mary Anne Saves the Day” The Baby-Sitters Club (Netflix) “Obsidian” Adventure Time: Distant Lands (HBO Max)The Owl House (Disney Channel)She-Ra & The Princesses of Power (DreamWorks Animation/Netflix)Steven Universe (Cartoon Network) Outstanding Music Artist Adam Lambert, Velvet (More Is More/Empire) Brandy Clark, Your Life Is a Record (Warner Records) Halsey, Manic (Capitol) Kehlani, It Was Good Until It Wasn’t (Atlantic) Lady Gaga, Chromatica (Streamline/Interscope) Miley Cyrus, Plastic Hearts (RCA) Pabllo Vittar, 111 (BMT/Sony Music Brasil) Peppermint, A Girl Like Me: Letters to My Lovers (PEG Records) Ricky Martin, Pausa (Sony Latin) Sam Smith, Love Goes (Capitol) Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist Arca, KiCk i (XL) Chika, Industry Games (Warner Records) FLETCHER, The (S)ex Tapes (Capitol) Keiynan Lonsdale, Rainbow Boy (Keiynan Lonsdale) Kidd Kenn, Child’s Play (Island Records) Orville Peck, Show Pony (Columbia/Sub Pop) Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher (Dead Oceans) Rina Sawayama, Sawayama (Dirty Hit/Avex Trax) Trixie Mattel, Barbara (PEG Records) Victoria Monét, Jaguar (Tribe Records) Outstanding Video GameAssassin’s Creed Valhalla (Ubisoft)Borderlands 3: Guns, Love, and Tentacles (2K Games)Bugsnax (Young Horses)Hades (Supergiant Games)If Found… (Annapurna Interactive)Ikenfell (Humble Games/Happy Ray Games)Immortals Fenyx Rising (Ubisoft)The Last of Us Part II (Sony Interactive Entertainment)Tell Me Why (Xbox Game Studios)World of Warcraft: Shadowlands (Blizzard Entertainment) Outstanding Comic BookEmpyre, Lords of Empyre: Emperor Hulkling, Empyre: Aftermath Avengers, by Al Ewing, Dan Slott, Chip Zdarsky, Anthony Oliveira, Valerio Schiti, Manuel Garcia, Cam Smith, Marte Gracia, Triona Farrell, Joe Caramagna, Ariana Maher, Travis Lanham (Marvel Comics)Far Sector, by N.K. Jemisin, Jamal Campbell, Deron Bennett (DC Comics)Guardians of the Galaxy, by Al Ewing, Juann Cabal, Nina Vakueva, Chris Sprouse, Belén Ortega, Marcio Takara, Karl Story, Federico Blee, Guru-eFX, Cory Petit (Marvel Comics)Juliet Takes a Breath, by Gabby Rivera, Celia Moscote, James Fenner, DC Hopkins (Boom! Studios)Lois Lane, by Greg Rucka, Mike Perkins, Gabe Eltaeb, Andy Troy, Simon Bowland (DC Comics)The Magic Fish, by Trung Le Nguyen (Random House Graphic)Suicide Squad, by Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, Adriano Lucas, Wes Abbott (DC Comics)Wynd, by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas, Aditya Bidikar (Boom! Studios)X-Factor, by Leah Williams, David Baldeon, Carlos Gomez, Israel Silva, Joe Caramagna (Marvel Comics)You Brought Me the Ocean, by Alex Sanchez, Julie Maroh, Deron Bennett (DC Comics) Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode “Andy Cohen Calls for Change So He Can Donate His Plasma” Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen (Bravo) “Black Trans Lives Matter” Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (TBS) “Emily’s Coming Out Story” Red Table Talk: The Estefans (Facebook Watch) “Laverne Cox - Exploring Trans Representation with ‘Disclosure’” The Daily Show with Trevor Noah (Comedy Central) “Lilly Responds to Comments About Her Sexuality” A Little Late With Lilly Singh (NBC) Outstanding TV Journalism Segment “Black Trans Activists on Being the ‘Blueprint for the Struggle for Black Freedom’” MSNBC Live with Hallie Jackson (MSNBC) “Dwyane Wade One-On-One: Basketball Legend Opens Up About Supporting Transgender Daughter” Good Morning America (ABC) “Faith, Foster Care and LGBTQ Rights Collide in Supreme Court” ABC News Prime (ABC News Live) “One-on-One with Transportation Secretary Nominee Pete Buttigieg” State of the Union (CNN) “Trans and Non-Binary People Face Voting Barriers Ahead of 2020 Election” (CBSN) Outstanding TV Journalism – Long-Form “ABC News Joe Biden Town Hall” (ABC) “The Deciders” (CBS) “Pride and Protest: Being Black and Queer in America in 2020” (NBC News NOW) “Pride on ABC News Live: The Landmark Decision” (ABC News Live) “Prideland” (PBS) Outstanding Print Article “20 LGBTQ+ People Working to Save Lives on the Frontline” by Diane Anderson-Minshall, David Artavia, Tracy Gilchrist, Desiree Guerrero, Jeffrey Masters, Donald Padgett, and Daniel Reynolds (TheAdvocate) “The AIDS Quilt Marches Home” by Jason Sheeler (People) “As Homeless Shelters Brace for Funding Cuts, LGBTQ Youths Take Desperate Measures to Get By” by Samantha Schmidt (TheWashington Post) “Delaware’s Sarah McBride Makes History as the Nation’s First Openly Transgender State Senator” by Meg Ryan (Delaware Today) “How a March for Black Trans Lives Became a Huge Event” by Anushka Patil (The New York Times) “It’s Time for a New Tipping Point for Transgender Folks in Hollywood” by Tre’vell Anderson (Out) “LGBTQ Americans Are Getting Coronavirus, Losing Jobs. Anti-Gay Bias is Making it Worse for Them.” by Petruce Jean-Charles (USA Today) “Lutheran High School Athletic Trainer, Coach Says She Was Fired for Being Gay” by Arika Herron (The Indianapolis Star) “States Won’t Collect LGBTQ Data on COVID-19 — and Advocates Aren’t Happy” by Chris Johnson (Washington Blade) “Why Billy Porter is a National Treasure” by Tre’vell Anderson (Essence) Outstanding Magazine Overall CoverageThe Advocate Billboard People Plus Variety Outstanding Online Journalism Article “The Battle Over Title IX and Who Gets to be a Woman in Sports: Inside the Raging National Debate” by Katie Barnes (espnW.com) “Gay Men Speak Out After Being Turned Away from Donating Blood During Coronavirus Pandemic: ‘We are Turning Away Perfectly Healthy Donors’” by Tony Morrison and Joel Lyons (GoodMorningAmerica.com) “Here’s how Reggie Greer Takes on LGBTQ Outreach for Joe Biden in this ‘Very Personal’ Election” by John Gallagher (LGBTQNation.com) “No Medicine, No Food: Coronavirus Restrictions Amplify Health Risks to LGBT+ People with HIV” by Nita Bhalla and Oscar Lopez (Openlynews.com) “An Oral History of Fashion’s Response to the AIDS Epidemic” [series] by Phillip Picardi (VOGUE.com) “Queer Spaces Project” [series] by Nico Lang, Samantha Allen, Marke B., Matt Baume, Steven Blum, Alexander Cheves, Devlyn Camp, Michael Cuby, James Factora, KC Hoard, Sophie Hurwitz, Michelle Kim, and Daniel Villareal (them.us) “Trans Athletes’ Fight for Inclusion in World Rugby” [series] by Dawn Ennis, Alex Reimer, Karleigh Webb, and Cyd Zeigler (Outsports.com) “Trans Freedom Fighters” [series] by Sam Levin (TheGuardian.com) “Trans, Imprisoned — and Trapped” by Kate Sosin (NBCNews.com) “‘You Don’t Belong Here’: In Poland’s ‘LGBT-Free Zones’ Existing is an Act of Defiance” by Ivana Kottasová, Rob Picheta, and Sarah Tilotta (CNN.com) Outstanding Online Journalism – Video or Multimedia “A Closer Look: Transgender in Kashmir” by Robert Leslie, Bhat Burhan, and Saqib Mugloo (Business Insider) “I’m an Immigrant Fighting for Queer Rights and Racial Justice” by Abigail E. Disney, Catherine King, Maria Nunez, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Patty Quillin, Julie Parker Benello, Susan Sherrerd, and Lynda Weinman (Refinery29) “Stop Killing Us: Black Transgender Women’s Lived Experiences” by Complex World (Complex News) “They Will See You: LGBTQ+ Visibility in Advertising” by Brent Miller, Otto Bell, and Jordan Shavarebi (Great Big Story) “Why LGBTQ Rights Hinge on the Definition of ‘Sex’” by Laura Bult, Ranjani Chakraborty, Melissa Hirsch, and Sidnee King (Vox) Outstanding Blog Gays With Kids JoeMyGod Pittsburgh Lesbian Correspondents The Reckoning TransGriot Outstanding Spanish-Language TV Journalism “Decisión de la Corte Suprema Para Comunidad LGBTQ” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo) “La Hermana de Aleyda Ortiz Narra Cómo Salió del Clóset y Cómo se lo Comunicó a su Familia” Despierta América (Univision) “Proyecto ser Humano: La Terapia del Engaño” Camilo (CNN en Español) “Refugio para Pacientes de COVID-19 y Comunidad LGBTI en México” Un Nuevo Día (Telemundo) “Sanación Milagrosa” Despierta América (Univision) Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism Article “El Brutal Asesinato de una Mujer Transgénero Conmociona a Puerto Rico y Renueva una Conversación Sobre la Transfobia” por Harmeet Kaur y Rafy Rivera (CNNEspañol.com) “Desapareció en México, Solo se Hallaron sus Restos: La Historia de la Doctora María Elizabeth Montaño y su Importancia para la Comunidad Trans” por Albinson Linares y Marina E. Franco (Telemundo.com) “Entrevistas para el mes del Orgullo LGBT+” por Paula Velasco, Aurora Villaseñor, y Sofía Viramontes (Gatopardo.com) “Elliot Page y el Dilema Social del Género” por Marcos Billy Guzmán (ElNuevoDía.com) “La Historia de un Amor Moderno” por María Torres Clausell (Quién.com) Outstanding Spanish-Language Online Journalism - Video or Multimedia “Abril Zamora: Sin Filtros” (Elle España) “Ciudad de México Prohibe las ‘Terapias’ Contra la Homosexualidad” por Elías Camhaji, Jonás Cortés, y Rodrigo Floriano (El País) “La Liga Deportiva de la Diversidad” por Lucía Anaya (VICE en Español) “Mujeres LGBT+ en México: Ari Vera” (Homosensual) “Soy Trans: El Camino a un Nuevo Despertar” por Sarah Moreno, Esther Piccolino, y José Sepúlveda (El Nuevo Herald) Special Recognition (Spanish-Language) Jesse & Joy, “Love (Es Nuestro Idioma)” Next, everything you need to know about the 2021 Academy Awards!

How to Watch the Glee Reunion for Naya Rivera at the GLAAD Awards Tonight - 52