New York, NY – GLAAD, the world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, today announced that iconic entertainer Ricky Martin will make a special appearance at the 29^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton on Thursday, April 12, 2018.  Fresh off of receiving rave reviews in Ryan Murphy’s “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” Martin will make his first appearance at the ceremony since he was honored by GLAAD in 2011.  In the acclaimed FX series starring Penelope Cruz, Darren Criss, and Edgar Ramirez, Martin portrayed Versace’s longtime partner Antonio D’Amico, which served as his return to acting in a television series. 

“Ricky Martin is a true icon who has been a tireless advocate for the LGBTQ community and is one of the most visible out entertainers in the world,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD President and CEO. “We are thrilled to welcome another global legend on our stage at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles – it will truly be a night to remember.”

The GLAAD Media Awards honor media for fair, accurate, and inclusive representations of LGBTQ people and issues. The GLAAD Media Awards also fund GLAAD's work to accelerate acceptance of the LGBTQ community. The 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards are presented by Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, and Wells Fargo. 

GLAAD also announced that the 29^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles will air exclusively on Logo on Wednesday April 18 at 8pm ET/PT.  Martin joins previously announced honorees Britney Spears and Jim Parsons, host Wanda Sykes, special guests Ryan Murphy, Halle Berry, Lena Waithe, Chloe Grace Moretz and many more.

In January, GLAAD announced 125 nominees in 21 English-language categories and 16 Spanish-language nominees in 4 categories. The nominees for the 29^th Annual GLAAD Media Awards were announced during the Sundance Film Festival by actors Wilson Cruz (“13 Reasons Why,” “Star Trek: Discovery”) and Trace Lysette (“Transparent”). Nominees across entertainment and news media included This Is Us, Call Me by Your Name, Lady Bird, Battle of the Sexes, A Fantastic Woman, Billions, The Voice, Will & Grace, Andi Mack, Halsey, Kesha, Kehlani, Teen Vogue, The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, NBC Nightly News, HuffPost, and CNN en Español. GLAAD announced a Special Recognition Award for Jay-Z’s song and music video “Smile” featuring his mother Gloria Carter who used the song to come out as a lesbian as well as a Special Recognition Award to the animated short film In A Heartbeat. Nominees can be found here: www.glaad.org/mediaawards/nominees

To receive the latest updates on the GLAAD Media Awards, follow @glaad on Twitter and use the hashtag #glaadawards.

The 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards corporate partners include Presenting Partners Delta Air Lines, Gilead, Ketel One Family-Made Vodka, and Wells Fargo. GLAAD is also grateful to: Official Partner Bud Light; Platinum Partners 21st Century Fox, Allstate Insurance Company, AT&T, Creative Arts Agency (CAA), Comcast NBCUniversal | Telemundo, Disney ABC Television Group | ESPN, Hyundai, Kaiser Permanente, Kelley Drye, MetLife, NBA | WNBA, Netflix, Omnicom Group, SheppardMullin, Southwest Airlines, and Turner; Gold Partners CBS | Showtime, Facebook, Nielsen, PwC, UM, Univision, Warner Bros.; and Silver Partners Coca-Cola, Hornet, Major League Baseball, Morgan Stanley, Pride Media, Skadden, Variety, and WWE. For a full list of corporate partners and information on how to become a corporate partner, purchase tickets, and place a tribute in the tribute book, please visit www.glaad.org/mediaawards.