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Glee club New Directions are reuniting for the virtual edition of the GLAAD Media Awards. Cast members of Fox’s musical comedy-drama television series are confirmed to take the stage on April 8 and have an exceptional performance to tribute the legacy of the late Naya Rivera ’s character Santana Lopez, as reported by Deadline.
According to the publication Jacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Vanessa Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Alex Newell, Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., Becca Tobin, and Jenna Ushkowitz will honor the 10th anniversary of Santana’s coming out as a lesbian. Rivera’s character positively impacted the LGBTQ+ community in the musical comedy, including teens and Latinx viewers.
Singer and actress Demi Lovato will introduce the special tribute. Lovato joined the cast in session five to play the role of Dani, Santana’s girlfriend.
Naya Rivera’s GLAAD tribute comes after the Recording Academy left the actress out of their In Memoriam tribute during the televised broadcast of the 2021 GRAMMY Awards.
Rivera’s fans rushed to social media to air out their disappointment. However, she was included on the “list of artists and industry professionals the music community lost in 2020–2021” on the GRAMMYs website. “What about naya rivera @RecordingAcad? one of our most terrible losses this year. It doesn‘t matter if she didn’t have a solo musical career of her own, she made history through glee. you don’t find a voice like hers anywhere, she was unique. her covers were bigger than many,” a fan wrote.
“Naya Rivera was a singer, not just an actress,” another Twitter user wrote. “She was a two time Grammy nominee. Had a career that spanned more than two decades. She died saving her son‘s life. The fact that the @RecordingAcad didn’t see fit to include her in the In Memoriam section is disgraceful.”
The 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards will be live-streamed on YouTube on April 8 at 8 pm ET and stream on Hulu at 10 pm ET. Niecy Nash will be hosting the show.