Heated Rivalry And The Traitors Win Big At GLAAD Media Awards
Image: Image: Composite Heated Rivalry/The Traitors
The love for Heated Rivalry continues as the hit show picked up another accolade at the 2026 GLAAD Media Awards.
They joined The Traitors and a sea of other award winners who were recgonised this weekend.
Connor Storrie joined the Heated Rivalry team to accept their award, however Hudson Williams was notably absent from the awards night.
Heated Rivalry wins, Laverne Cox speaks out and Liza gets her chair
Mean Girls star Jonathan Bennett hosted the 37th annual GLAAD Awards overnight, celebrating LGBTQIA+ inclusion in media.
The night featured plenty of surprises and celebrations for the LGBTQIA+ community, including an appearance from a queer icon.
Two of the big wins for the night were the hugely popular shows Heated Rivalry and The Traitors.
Gay hockey drama Heated Rivalry has captivated audiences worldwide and was recognised with the award for Best New TV Series.
Connor Storrie joined the cast and series creator Jacob Tierney on stage as Tierney gave the acceptance speech for the program.
While Hudson Williams was notably absent he told fans online he “tried very hard to be there, but it just was not possible,” later sharing Tierney’s acceptance speech online.
#HeatedRivalry wins outstanding new TV series at the GLAAD Media Awards, as Connor Storrie, François Arnaud and Robbie G.K. take the stage pic.twitter.com/rl28H3bHbS
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) March 6, 2026
The Traitors has also become a worldwide hit with bisexual icon Alan Cummings at the helm and featuring a slew of dominant queer contestants, they were awarded Outstanding Reality Competition Program.
You can view the full list of award winners here.
Liza Minnelli gets her chair
One of the biggest surprises of the night came from queer icon Liza Minnelli who appeared to accept an award named in her honour.
Minnelli was named as the very first recipient of the Liza Minnelli Storyteller Award. Minnelli had recently spoken out against the Oscars for putting her in a wheelchair on stage, in contrast this time she sat proudly in a directors chair on stage, flanked by gorgeous men.
“You make me so proud because you’re so strong, and you stand up for what you believe in. You really do, and it’s so nice to be here. I feel like a five-year-old” she told the audience who joined in celebrating her upcoming birthday together.
Laverne Cox Speaks Out
Laverne Cox caught plenty of attention on the night as she took to the stage to make a powerful speech about the trans rights in America.
“What is going on right now in the United States of America is not right” she said.
“Identify, I said this earlier, and I’m going to say it again, what dehumanizing language and images are.”
“Call it out and don’t buy into it! So much of my struggle over the past several years [has been] trying to figure out how to combat this assault on my community, rhetorically.”
“I do not want to have the conversation about my life and my humanity on the oppressor’s terms” she said.
Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers echoed her statement when accepting the Stephen F. Kolzak Award for their Las Culturistas podcast.
“We cannot accept this award without condemning the rampant active transphobia from this administration,” Rogers told the crowd in response to recent news that the state of Kansas was revoking transgender people’s driver’s licenses.
“We are also here to let them know in advance that they are fighting a losing battle. When we gather in rooms like this, we are always going to have each other’s backs” he continued, with the pair committing to donate $10k to Equality Kansas to help fight the law changes.
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