Glee reunion, Naya Rivera tribute set for GLAAD Media Awards

Last Updated on July 30, 2021

Gleeks rejoice! Some of your favorite students from William McKinley High School and the prized members of the New Directions are reuniting. It has been announced that key cast members of Fox's hit musical series Glee will be reuniting at the 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards on April 8, 2021, and they're all coming together for a special tribute to one of their fallen castmates, Naya Rivera.

Set to attend the awards are Mattew Morrison, Alex Newell, Darren Criss, Jacob Artist, Chris Colfer, Vanessa Lengies, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., Becca Tobin, and Jenna Ushkowitz. The tribute to Naya Rivera will also honor the 10-year anniversary of Rivera's character Santana Lopez coming out as a lesbian in the musical comedy. The reunion is expected to showcase Santan's impact on LGBTQ teenagers and LatinX LGBTQ representation on television. Singer and actress Demi Lovato, who played Santana's girlfriend during a multi-episode arc on the series, will introduce the tribute.

Naya Rivera sadly lost her life at the age of 33 last year during a truly tragic accident. Rivera and her 4-year-old son, Josey Hollis Dorsey, were swimming in Lake Piru when a positive family outing turned tragic. During interviews with authorities, Dorsey detailed that he was swimming with his mother and that while he had returned to the boat, his mother never resurfaced. Josey was found in the boat asleep wearing his life jacket with another adult life jacket on board. Other than the trauma of seeing what might have happened to his mother, Josey was unharmed and released to family members.

Naya Rivera made a name for herself beginning as a child actress and model. She landed her first big role as a child on The Royal Family at just 4 years old. It wasn't until 2009 that Rivera saw her first big break when she landed the role of Santana Lopez on the Fox series, Glee. Her character instantly became a fan favorite due to her no-holds-barred snarky tone and wicked clever delivery that quickly became a signature of the character. Rivera was able to show off her vocal skills on the Fox musical hit and this lead to her signing with Columbia Records in 2011. Rivera would play Santana Lopez on Glee beginning in 2009 and until the show wrapped its run in 2015.

The GLAAD Media Awards will be hosted by Niecy Nash and will stream on YouTube on April 8, 2021, at 8:00 PM ET, and will also stream on Hulu on April 8, 2021, beginning at 10:00 PM ET. Hulu will house the award show on their platform until the end of June.