2018 Emmys: Producer and Director Glenn Weiss Proposes to His Girlfriend During Acceptance Speech
Producer and director Glenn Weiss arrived at Monday night’s 2018 Emmys with a few statuettes already under his belt, but he ended the ceremony with one more Emmy and a brand-new fiancée. About halfway through the show, Weiss was awarded the trophy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for his position as the director of this year’s Academy Awards. Though his acceptance speech started out fairly run-of-the-mill, it soon took a shocking, heartwarming turn.
After doling out a few thank-yous, Weiss began speaking of his late mother, whom he said would’ve been proud of his big win. “Part of my heart is broken I don’t think it will ever be repaired. But she’s in me and she always will be. Mom always believed in finding the sunshine in things and she adored my girlfriend Jan. Jan, you are the sunshine in my life. And Mom was right, don’t ever let go of your sunshine,” he said, before becoming visibly nervous.
“You wonder why I don’t like to ‘call you my girlfriend?’ Because I want to call you my wife,” Weiss told a shocked Jan Svendsen, who was sitting in the audience. The crowd, predictably, went wild.
Weiss then pulled an heirloom ring from his suit pocket as Svendsen made her way up to the stage. “This is the ring that my dad put on my mom’s finger 67 years ago. And to my sisters and brothers: I didn’t swipe it, Dad knows I have it, OK?” he joked. “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?”
With tears in both of their eyes, Svendsen accepted Weiss’s proposal and gave him a huge kiss onstage. And that is what we call a Hollywood ending.