Alpha Epsilon Pi Brother Glenn Weiss (Maryland, 1984) took home the Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special last night. During his acceptance speech, Brother Weiss also proposed to his girlfriend Jan Svendsen.
The biggest surprise of the evening wasn’t when the director of the Oscars, Glenn Weiss, won the award for Directing for a Variety Special — it was what he did with his acceptance speech. After admitting how much he missed his mother, who had died two weeks prior, he addressed his girlfriend in the audience “You wonder why I don’t want to call you my girlfriend? Because I want to call you my wife.” As the audience rose to their feet, she walked to the stage, where he presented a ring and went down on one knee. “This is the ring my dad put on my mom’s finger,” he said.”And to my sisters and brothers, I didn’t swipe it — Dad knows I have it.” In a true Hollywood moment, Weiss’ girlfriend, Jan Svendsen, said yes.
Backstage, Weiss related how his mother befriended Svendsen while they were backstage during rehearsals for the Oscars, and would often say, “She was my friend first.” “That’s what makes this feel bittersweet but really nice.”
