On Thursday night, the GLAAD Media Awards staged a moving tribute to the late Glee star Naya Rivera. Many of the show’s former cast members shared personal memories of Rivera and reflected on the enduring legacy of her character on the show, Santana Lopez, a lesbian cheerleader whose revelatory storylines about growing up queer touched a generation of LGBTQ+ people.
The series of eulogies was kicked off by Demi Lovato. The pop singer briefly starred on Glee, playing a struggling New York artist who has a fling with Santana. “The character Naya played, Santana Lopez, was groundbreaking for closeted queer girls — like I was at the time,” Lovato said, appearing on the broadcast virtually from her home.
Other Glee cast members — including Jenna Ushkowitz, Kevin McHale, Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley, Lauren Potter, Jane Lynch, and more — went on to reflect on Rivera’s undeniable star power. Lynch shared the experience of watching Rivera graduate from a backup dancer to a charismatic lead on the series. “I was like, wow, this girl is really something,” the actress said.
Chris Colfer, who played Kurt, said a storyline where Santana came out to her parents and was then disowned was “a feeling too many LGBTQ kids know too well.”
Jenna Ushkowitz, who played Tina, said Rivera had a penchant for making everyone on set laugh. “But the real win was if you made her laugh, because then you knew you actually did something really funny,” Ushkowitz said.
Ushkowitz also said Naya’s best role “was being a mom.” Matthew Morrison, who played Will, revealed that parenthood was a strong link between him and Rivera. “Naya and I were good friends on the show,” he said, “but I think we became much closer friends when we both had children.”
Near the end of the segment, the cast shared a heartwarming note from Naya’s mother. Part of the message touched on Rivera’s importance to the LGBTQ+ community: “When Naya was told that Santana would be a lesbian, she called me to let me know. And I asked her, how did she feel about that? And she said, ‘I feel great about it.’ Little did we know that she would impact so many people in the LGBTQ community. Her desire was to always be an advocate to those who did not have a voice.”
The newly-wedded Niecy Nash hosted the awards ceremony. Her wife, musician Jessica Betts, even gave a performance of her soulful ballad “Catch Me” during the show.
Elsewhere, the awards featured the rapper Chika, who delivered performances of her hits “FWB” and “Save You.”
Other celebrity appearances included Katy Perry, Sam Smith, Rebecca Black, Bob the Drag Queen, Jojo Siwa, Laverne Cox, and many more. Award winner included Ryan Murphy’s The Boys in the Band, I May Destroy You, Schitt’s Creek, and more. You can check out the full list of winners here.
The need for a GLAAD Awards, and LGBTQ+ community activism, was pressed throughout the show. Stars repeatedly spotlighted issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, including the epidemic of violence against trans women and the disturbing rise of anti-trans legislation across the U.S.
Check out the full broadcast of the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards here.
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