iHeartMedia and Procter & Gamble $PG are launching the Elton John Impact Awards, a podcast special honoring six LGBTQ+ icons that will air June 1 across more than 300 iHeartRadio stations and on all major podcast platforms.
The June 1 special honors six LGBTQ+ icons including Chappell Roan and Billie Jean King and directs funding to eight nonprofit organizations
ANGELA WEISS / Getty Images
iHeartMedia and Procter & Gamble $PG are launching the Elton John Impact Awards, a podcast special honoring six LGBTQ+ icons that will air June 1 across more than 300 iHeartRadio stations and on all major podcast platforms.
Billed as the first podcast awards ceremony of its kind, the special taps actor and musician Billy Porter alongside iHeartRadio personality Elvis Duran to serve as hosts. Audiences will hear from Elton John, David Furnish — who chairs the Elton John AIDS Foundation — and each of the six honorees in personal, wide-ranging conversations. A live rendition of "Your Song" by Dove Cameron rounds out the program as a nod to John's enduring musical legacy.
This year's honorees are actor Jonathan Bailey, actress Laverne Cox, musician Melissa Etheridge, tennis icon Billie Jean King, country performer Orville Peck, and pop singer Chappell Roan, according to P&G. Each has been recognized for contributions to LGBTQ+ visibility, advocacy, or community support. Among the honorees' notable efforts: Bailey created The Shameless Fund as a vehicle for LGBTQ+ charitable giving, while Roan established The Midwest Princess Project with a focus on supporting transgender young people.
Eight nonprofit organizations stand to benefit from the awards: the Elton John AIDS Foundation receives direct support, while CenterLink, GLAAD, the National Black Justice Collective, Outright International, SAGE, and The Trevor Project will receive grants channeled through Brandi Carlile's Looking Out Foundation. Across the eight groups, priorities range from advocating for older LGBTQ+ adults and expanding access to preventive health care to offering mental health resources for youth.
Honoree selection was guided by an advisory council convened around Elton John, drawing on Furnish, Porter, and Carlile alongside Anne Aslett, CEO of the Elton John AIDS Foundation, and the awards' founding producers — P&G's Brent Miller and iHeartMedia's John Sykes.
"I've always believed in the power of storytelling to connect us and challenge us," Elton John said in a statement. "These conversations bring together the people who have shaped LGBTQ+ culture and fought for dignity at a time when the world too often looked away. This is history that cannot be forgotten and these are voices that must be heard."
The award traces its roots to 2022, when iHeartMedia and P&G debuted it as part of Can't Cancel Pride — a virtual benefit concert — with Elton John himself taking home the inaugural honor. In subsequent years, singer Brandi Carlile and actor Billy Porter were each recognized before the program expanded into its current format. P&G notes that Can't Cancel Pride generated upward of $17 million for LGBTQ+ nonprofits across its five-year run. The expanded awards program builds on that foundation.
The broadcast will reach more than 188 million listeners nationwide, the company said.
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