Watch Celeb Use Emmy Acceptance Speech To Propose to His Longtime Girlfriend in Crowd
Are awards shows only intended to entertain hardcore fans of whatever sport, charitable cause, or unique form of entertainment that they celebrate? I think that’s usually the case.
For the uninitiated, such shows seem a mix of scarcely understood internal references, incomprehensible humor, and kudos to unknown people. As someone who doesn’t watch prime time television, that’s how I generally feel when the Emmys roll around each year.
I didn’t know who Glenn Weiss was, for instance. Yet I think I’m going to remember him for a long time after his performance at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday.
Of course, I don’t think that many people outside of the industry were aware of Glenn Weiss prior to the awards. Weiss had won an award for best directing for a variety special.
United Press International informed me that he’d directed the 2018 Oscars. Color me ignorant, but it had never crossed my mind that the Oscars even needed a director.
Yet when Weiss took the stage for his acceptance speech, he didn’t use the opportunity to thank his co-workers or praise other professional benefactors. Rather, he directed all of his attention toward his girlfriend, Jan Svendsen.
“You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend?” he said. “Because I want to call you my wife.”
After that jaw-dropping moment, the crowd erupted in applause. The cameras cut to Svendsen, who gaped at Weiss in utter shock.
When Svendsen joined him on stage, Weiss showed her a ring. “This is the ring that my dad put on my mom’s finger 67 years ago,” he said.
“Jan, I want to put this ring that my mom wore on your finger in front of all these people and in front of my mom and your parents watching from above. Will you marry me?”
Weiss then dropped to one knee in front of an auditorium crammed with celebrities and a national audience. Needless to say, Svendsen said, “Yes!”
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the proposal was the most tweeted-about moment of the Emmys. But there was just one problem with it: What would’ve happened if Weiss hadn’t won an award?
According to The Muse, he still would’ve asked for Svendsen’s hand in marriage. He just would’ve done so in a more mundane setting.
Weiss stated that he would’ve popped the question at the ball after the show — or maybe at an In-N-Out Burger. But no matter the location, I suspect that Svendsen still would’ve been thrilled.
She said, “He was getting an award himself, and as a director and producer, on stage with his friends and family around, and others gathered around the television watching. It just feels right, and we always felt right. So I’m beyond ecstatic, and there was not a doubt in my mind.”
Don’t expect a rash of celebrities to start proposing during speeches, though. Matthew Rhys, who won an Emmy for his role in “The Americans,” said that his co-star and girlfriend Keri Russell wouldn’t been keen on the gesture.
“And finally, to the woman who truly got me this award, who just stands in front of me every day and just puts up with me,” Rhys said during his speech as reported by Page Six. “She said, ‘If you propose to me, I’ll punch you clean in the mouth.’”
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