Glee stars to reunite in honor of Naya Rivera at GLAAD Awards

Several members of the original Glee cast are planning to reunite virtually for a special tribute to their late costar Naya Rivera.

The reunion, planned for the GLAAD Media Awards next month, will include Chris Colfer, Darren Criss, Jane Lynch, Kevin McHale, Heather Morris, Matthew Morrison, Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., Jenna Ushkowitz, Vanessa Lengies, Jacob Artist, Alex Newell, and Becca Tobin.

The tribute, to be introduced by presenter Demi Lovato, will honor the legacy of Rivera's Glee character, Santana Lopez, and mark the 10th anniversary of the character's coming out as a lesbian on the show. Lovato appeared on Glee in season 5 as Dani, Santana's girlfriend when she moves to New York.

GLAAD plans to highlight the impact that coming-out moment had for LGBTQ teens and for greater Latinx LGBTQ representation on television.

Rivera died last July in an accidental drowning; she was 33. An original cast member of Glee, she joined the 2009 musical comedy with stars Lea Michele, the late Cory Monteith, Riley, Colfer, and many more. Morris played Santana's high school girlfriend, Brittany, on the series.

Many of the Glee cast members launched a holiday fundraiser for the organization Alexandria House in Rivera's honor.

Niecy Nash will host the virtual GLAAD Media Awards on Thursday, April 8. The ceremony will premiere on GLAAD's YouTube page at 8 p.m. ET, and will stream on Hulu the same night starting at 10 p.m. ET.

Other special guests will include Star Trek: Discovery stars Ian Alexander, Blu del Barrio, Wilson Cruz, and Anthony Rapp; The Boys in the Band's Matt Bomer, Robin de Jesús, and Jim Parsons; Happiest Season director Clea DuVall and stars Mackenzie Davis and Dan Levy; Younger's Molly Bernard; The Christmas House's Jonathan Bennett; Bob the Drag, DJ "Shangela" Pierce, and Eureka O'Hara of We're Here; This Is Us' Sterling K. Brown; Promising Young Woman's Laverne Cox; Deaf U's Nyle DiMarco; Ma Rainey's Black Bottom's Colman Domingo; P-Valley's Brandee Evans; influencer Bretman Rock; JoJo Siwa; singers Katy Perry and Sam Smith; and the cast of Veneno.

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