Openly gay comedian, TV personality, and author Ross Mathews hosted the 25th annual GLAAD Media Awards – Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton this weekend. In Ross' words, "The 25th GLAAD Media Awards…can you believe it? That's the silver anniversary, or, as we call it in the LGBT community, the Anderson Cooper."
Watch Ross' full monologue below:
Endearing, adorable, and engagingly funny, Ross first came to the national public's attention with his character "Ross the Intern" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Since then, he's filled many host and correspondent roles, has appeared regularly on Chelsea Lately, and now hosts his own series, Hello Ross!
His monologue on Saturday night began with an overview of the "amazing" and "overdue" achievements for the LGBT community this past year, like the end of DOMA and increased invisibility in sports.
"Not to brag, speaking of athletes, but I'm something of a gay athlete, myself," Ross told the audience. "This is true. I just completed a marathon. It was a marathon of Designing Women on the Hallmark Channel but, hey, I did it!" (Linda Bloodworth-Thomason, co-creator and –producer of the iconic '80s and '90s sitcom was in attendance. Her film, Bridegroom, even won Outstanding Documentary that night.)
Ross' introduction to the show was both hilarious and touching as the comedian celebrated the star-studded night and successful steps that have been taken toward LGBT equality. Along with making Jennifer Lopez laugh so hard she cried, Ross drove home the evening's true significance:
"In all sincerity, the work that GLAAD does is so important and we all know that, and we're all here. When I was a little kid growing up in a farm town in the '80s, I remember specifically, I didn't know what life looked like as a grown up, happy, successful, openly gay person because I never saw that represented in the media. That was 25 years ago. Think about the cultural shift. And because of the people who run GLAAD and the people in this room, LGBTQ kids across the world can point at someone in the media and say, 'when I grow up, I want to be like that. I want to be happy and out and open and 100% me, and I know I can do it because I see it right there. They can say, 'I want to look like Ross, only thinner!' It's possible."
Other special guests at the 25th Annual GLAAD Media awards included: Rita Moreno who presented the Vanguard Award to Jennifer Lopez.Ellen Page who presented the Stephen F. Kolzak Award to Laverne Cox. Norman Lear received the Pioneer Award. Manny de Guerre, LGBT advocate from Russia, received the International Advocate for Change Award. Other guests included: Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years a Slave); Johnny Galecki (The Big Bang Theory); Naomi Campbell (The Face); Tatiana Maslany, Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black); Tom Cullen (Downton Abbey); Eric Dane, Rebecca Gayheart; Natasha Henstridge (The Secret Circle); James Frain (Intruders); Alex Newell(Glee); Kat Graham (The Vampire Diaries); Ross Mathews (Hello Ross); Maria Menounos(Chasing Maria Menounos); Sherri Saum, Teri Polo, Peter Paige, Bradley Bredeweg (The Fosters); Lucas Neff (Raising Hope); Meghan McCain (Take Part Live); singer Debby Boone;Caitlin Stasey (Please Like Me); Luke Newberry (In the Flesh); author and transgender advocate Chaz Bono; Shane Bitney Crone, Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (Bridegroom);Katherine Fairfax Wright, Malika Zouhali-Worrall, John "Longjones" Abdallah Wambere(Call Me Kuchu); Charlie Condou (Coronation Street); Sophie Ward (Jane Eyre); Pratibha Parmar (Nina's Heavenly Delights); Jill Soloway, Amy Landecker, Ian Harvie (Transparent); Kate Mansi, Guy Wilson (Days of Our Lives); trans advocates Calpernia Addams, Andrea James; Husbands creators Brad Bell, Jane Espenson; comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer; trans model Carmen Carrera; trans singer Our Lady J; GLAAD National Spokespersons, Wilson Cruz and Omar Sharif, Jr., and GLAAD CEO & President Sarah Kate Ellis. DJ Tracy Young was the guest DJ at the after-party.
Photos and videos are available here.
The 25th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented nationally by Ketel One Vodka, Wells Fargo, and Hilton Worldwide. The Los Angeles event is presented locally by Delta Air Lines and Bud Light.