Who is Glenn Weiss's Fiancée, Jan Friedlander Svendsen? Emmy Winner Proposes Marriage on Stage

Glenn Weiss took the stage after he won the Emmy for director of a variety special for The Oscars, but he turned his acceptance speech into a proposal. He thanked girlfriend Jan Svendsen for being the "sunshine" of his life and then told her there was a reason why he never called her his girlfriend. He wanted her to be his wife.

The audience was stunned for a moment, but after realizing Weiss was proposing marriage they soon erupted with applause. Svendsen instantly said yes, but Weiss hadn't officially asked yet.

Svendsen joined him on stage, where Weiss explained he was presenting her with a ring his father gave to his mother 67 years ago. "Dad knows I have it," he joked to his brother and sister. "I didn't swipe it!"

"Jan, I want to put this ring that my mom wore on her finger in front of all these people and in front of my mom and your parents watching from above," he asked before getting down on one knee. "Will you marry me?" Although she had already agreed, Svendsen said yes again. The crowd erupted once more. Before they left, Weiss jokingly added, "Thank you to the Academy."

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Glenn Weiss (L), winner of the Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special award for "The Oscars" and Jan Svendsen are pictured after getting engaged onstage during the 70th Emmy Awards at Microsoft Theater on September... Kevin Winter/Getty Images

According to her LinkedIn account, Svendsen is the Chief Creative Officer at the Charity Network. "She focuses her efforts on creating content, developing strategic partnerships, working on film projects for 2929 Entertainment and business development for Charitybuzz and Prizeo," her bio reads. Svendsen worked as Director of Marketing for the Broadway League and the Tony Awards for 17 years.

Her campaign raised more than $7 million dollars, BroadwayWorld.com wrote in April. "We are proud to be among the best of the Internet with a Webby win, recognizing Charity Network's ability to harness the power of celebrity, technology and media as a force for good," she told the publication at the time. "The Prizeo platform, which encourages fans to 'give small and win big', aligns perfectly with the Miranda family's goal to provide equal access while maximizing the impact to charities around the world."

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About the writer


Maria Vultaggio is a Brooklynite originally hailing from Long Island. She studied English at Stony Brook University and interned at the ... Read more

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