Talk about a night to remember! Glenn Weiss walked away with the 2018 Emmy award for Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special — and a fiancée.
The 57-year-old producer started his acceptance speech reflecting on his late mother who passed away just two weeks ago, but he ultimately ended up with a happier message … and a proposal to girlfriend Jan Svendsen.
“Mom always believed in finding the sunshine in things and she adored my girlfriend Jan,” he said. “Jan, you are the sunshine in my life. And mom was right, don’t ever let go of your sunshine. You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend? Because I want to call you my wife.”
Those in the audience couldn’t believe what was happening. The star-studded audience immediately erupted in applause and also looked just as shocked as her.
As Svendsen got up from her seat to approach the stage, Weiss joked, “I didn’t ask yet. I didn’t ask yet.”
Milo Ventimiglia — being the gentleman he is — grabbed the hand of the elated bride-to-be as they stood excitedly.
After Svendsen joined him in front of the crowd, Weiss gushed: “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, okay?”
He continued: “Jan, I want to put this ring — that my mom wore — on your finger,” he said as he got down on one knee. “In front of all these people. And in front of my mom and your parents watching from above. Will you marry me?”
The beautiful proposal sparked emotion from those in the audience including Jimmy Kimmel, Leslie Jones and Benedict Cumberbatch. Claire Foy was also captured shedding tears of joy.
Weiss opened up to Us Weekly about the life changing moment following the show, where he revealed: “You can’t come in [with a] plan [for] this, you don’t know when you’re a nominee that you’re going to be up here. Its been an interesting couple of weeks in my life and I had a thought and it picked up steam, this was coming for a while the timing lined up very nicely and it was a magical moment. Thank you for saying yes.”
As for the beautiful piece of jewelry that he popped the question with, Weiss told Us that “it’s not a diamond ring.” He gushed: “It’s my moms wedding ring, which is, to me, more valuable than the hope diamond, it’s precious to me and yes it was awkward having a ring in your pocket on the red carpet, it was a nerve wracking experience, there was such a valuable thing sitting here but now it’s right where it belongs ”
Viewers couldn’t help but gush over the sweet moment.
“Oscar director Glenn Weiss proposes to his girlfriend onstage at the #Emmys, let’s all just call it a night because it’s not going to get better than this,” one commenter tweeted.
Another added: “Glenn Weiss really made us have all the feels with this acceptance speech. It was down so low talking about his departed mom and then up so high with a proposal. YOU GO GLENN WEISS. #Emmys.”
Weiss took away the award for his work as the director on the Oscars.
