Jennifer Coolidge pays heartfelt tribute to LGBTQ+ fans at GLAAD Awards: ‘I’m surrounded by gays’
Jennifer Coolidge paid a touching tribute to the queer community at the GLAAD Media Awards (Jerod Harris/Getty Images)
Jennifer Coolidge said being surrounded by gays is her lot in life in a beautiful GLAAD Media Awards speech.
Kicking off the ceremony on Thursday (30 March), the actor and Mother-in-chief opened her speech by saying: “Here I am again, surrounded by gays! It’s the story of my life.”
Beloved by the queer community, Jennifer Coolidge has found herself back at the forefront of our cultural psyche with her role as ditsy widow Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus. And on Thursday night, she paid it all back.
“I have so much respect for the LGBTQ+ community, and just want you all to know that I love you and I thank you for always being there for me and that’s why I’m here because I want to give back,” Coolidge said.
“I believe that we all have the right to be who we are and to love the people who we love and tell our stories and celebrate that in every way that we can – and that’s really what the GLAAD Media Awards are all about.”
Coolidge continued her touching tribute by thanking the queer community for being themselves and “inspiring” her, and concluded her speech by saying: “Now let’s really have some fun.”
In an extra-special surprised for the assembled homosexuals, Coolidge was then joined onstage by Jane Lynch, who is perhaps best known for playing the insult-slinging coach Sue Sylvester in Glee.
Lynch, who played Coolidge’s wife in the 2000 film Best in Show, presented Coolidge with a surprise Award of Distinction.
“This wonderful woman here was pro-gay before it was cool to be pro-gay,” Lynch said.
“She is one of us, and I have always said that the world has to catch up with Jennifer Coolidge – and the world has caught up with Jennifer Coolidge!”
Jennifer Coolidge won hearts and plaudits for her turn as Tanya McQuoid in The White Lotus – which won Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series the GLAAD awards.
For this performance, she snatched up an Emmy, a Golden Globe and more in what can only be referred to as the Jennaissance.
And while the gays were trying to murder her in the Mike White-created dramedy, they have championed her in real life, bestowing her with the prestigious title of ‘Mother’, among other honours.
Although her character in The White Lotus is infamously swimming with the fishes after a high-ish stakes escape attempt from a boat of homicidal homosexuals, the show itself is confirmed to return.
After visiting Hawaii in season one and Italy in season two, Thailand appears to be next on the bucket list.
According to Variety, “multiple sources close to production” have confirmed the South Asian country as the location, though HBO has declined to comment thus far.
Series writer Mike White has previously hinted at wanting to take the show to a brand new continent.
“The first season kind of highlighted money, and then the second season is sex … I think the third season would be maybe a satirical and funny look at death and Eastern religion and spirituality,” White revealed following the season two finale in December.
“It feels like it could be a rich tapestry to do another round at White Lotus.”
