Kelly Ripa Honored At GLAAD Awards In New York
Kelly Ripa was one of fifteen people honored Saturday at the 26th annual GLAAD Media Awards in New York. Ripa, the perky morning talk show host and former soap star, received the Excellence in Media Award.
Kelly said in her acceptance speech, “Quite frankly, I should be giving this award to all of you.” She also said she’s simply “treating people like people” and that it feels “odd” she’s being celebrated for it.
“It’s kind of odd, in a way, that I should be given an award based on the fact that I’ve had the privilege of being surrounded by, loved by and influenced by this community my entire life. Or, quite frankly, that I should be celebrated for treating people like people.”
As the Inquisitr previously reported, CNN’s Anderson Cooper presented Ripa with the award. Cooper, who has co-hosted with Kelly on her morning talk show LIVE with Kelly and Michael many times, described Ripa as “smart, funny, honest and true.”
“She accelerates acceptance, she promotes equality by sharing inclusive stories with her audience and by loudly voicing support for her LGBT friends and fans. How many morning talk-show hosts have you heard gleefully recounting the Saturday night they spent dancing in a gay club? I cannot tell you how many times Kelly has talked about that on the air.”
Ripa said if the Supreme Court does end up ruling in favor of marriage equality across the nation, that will only be the beginning. She said there’s still progress that needs to be made and warns against the “rebranding” of discrimination.
“It must not end there, equality means equality across the board. We must not allow discrimination to be rebranded and to be used against people in other facets of society, including housing, employment, and education.”
GLAAD president Sarah Kate Ellis released a statement about Kelly Ripa and her positivity in the LGBT movement towards equality.
“For over a decade, Kelly Ripa has greeted millions of viewers with messages of acceptance and inclusion. By sharing inclusive stories with her audience and loudly voicing support for her LGBT friends and fans, Kelly is helping to drive acceptance forward.”
While Kelly says there’s still work to be done towards acceptance, she also is looking positively at future generations. Kelly noted her children “are genuinely puzzled” when they hear stories of discrimination.
You can catch more of Kelly Ripa every weekday morning on LIVE with Kelly and Michael.
[Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images]
