Glenn Weiss is an American producer and director of television and live events. He has won 14 Emmy Awards and eight Directors Guild of America awards as a director and producer for various awards shows and reality shows including the Tony Awards, Kennedy Center Honors, and Academy Awards. As of 2026, he is the director of the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards and Primetime Emmy Awards.
Early life Weiss was raised in a Jewish family. He graduated from the University of Maryland in 1983.
Career
Weiss started his career working at the Washington, D.C., bureau of CNN while still a full-time University of Maryland student before becoming a producer and director at Fox affiliate WTTG. His first national credit was America's Most Wanted, followed by other shows including Studs, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Gladiators 2000, and talk shows hosted by Jane Pratt and Tempestt Bledsoe in the years since.
As of 2018, Weiss has won 14 Emmy Awards, and, as of 2015, five Directors Guild of America Awards for Outstanding Directorial Achievement, and has been nominated for Producers Guild of America Awards.
Weiss has also directed numerous televised events, including the Tony Awards, Academy Awards, for which he has garnered three directing Primetime Emmys and has directed and produced Primetime Emmy Awards. Other directing credits include the Kennedy Center Honors, CableACE Awards, Billboard Music Awards, BET Awards, Peter Pan Live!, The SpongeBob Musical: Live On Stage!, Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve, the Primetime Emmy Awards, Live from Lincoln Center, and the American Music Awards. He also directed the 2020 DNC.
Among the Academy Awards ceremonies that Weiss was the director of was the 94th Academy Awards. According to executive Rob Mills in a Variety article referring to the Chris Rock–Will Smith slapping incident,
Personal life During the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards on September 18th, 2018, Weiss made headlines by proposing to long-time girlfriend Jan Svendsen during his acceptance speech for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for his work on that year's Academy Awards. He proposed by saying, "You wonder why I don’t like to call you my girlfriend? Because I want to call you my wife." The ring previously belonged to his mother, who had died two and a half weeks prior. The moment was widely shared on social media platforms Twitter and Instagram. They got married on 14 February 2023, with Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi officiating.
Awards AwardYearCategoryWorkResultDaytime Emmy Awards2000Outstanding Special Class DirectingJerry Lewis MDA Labor Day TelethonDirecting in a Talk Show/Morning ProgramDonny & Marie2006Outstanding Special Class DirectingThe Thanksgiving Day Parade on CBS20072008Directors Guild of America Awards2002Musical VarietyThe 55th Annual Tony Awards2003The 56th Annual Tony Awards2006The 59th Annual Tony Awards2007The 60th Annual Tony Awards2008The 61st Annual Tony Awards2009The 62nd Annual Tony Awards2011The 64th Annual Tony Awards2012The 65th Annual Tony Awards2013The 66th Annual Tony Awards2014Variety/Talk/News/Sports – SpecialsThe 67th Annual Tony Awards2015The 68th Annual Tony Awards2017The 70th Annual Tony Awards2018The 89th Annual Academy Awards2019The 72nd Annual Tony Awards2020The 91st Annual Academy Awards2022The 43rd Annual Kennedy Center Honors2023The 75th Annual Tony Awards2024The 95th Annual Academy Awards2025The 77th Annual Tony AwardsPrimetime Emmy Awards2003Outstanding Directing for a Variety SeriesThe 56th Annual Tony Awards2005Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction ProgrammingThe Apprentice: "Season 2 Finale"2007Outstanding Variety Special (Live)The 60th Annual Tony AwardsPrince: Super Bowl XLI Halftime Show2008The 61st Annual Tony Awards2009Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe Neighborhood Ball: An Inauguration CelebrationOutstanding Variety Special (Live)The 62nd Annual Tony Awards2010Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe 63rd Annual Tony AwardsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)2011Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe 64th Annual Tony AwardsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)2012Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe 65th Annual Tony AwardsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)2013Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction ProgrammingSurvivor2013Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe 66th Annual Tony Awards2014The 67th Annual Tony AwardsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)2015Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe 68th Annual Tony AwardsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)2016Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe Kennedy Center HonorsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)The 69th Annual Tony Awards2017Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe OscarsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)The 70th Annual Tony Awards2018Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe OscarsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs2019Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe OscarsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)The 72nd Annual Tony Awards2020Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe 73rd Annual Tony AwardsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)2021Celebrating America – An Inauguration Night Special2022The Tony Awards Present: Broadway's Back!2023Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe OscarsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)The 75th Annual Tony Awards2024Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe 76th Annual Tony AwardsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)2025Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialThe 77th Annual Tony Awards2026Outstanding Directing for a Variety SpecialTaylor Swift | The Eras Tour | The Final ShowThe 78th Annual Tony AwardsOutstanding Variety Special (Live)The 83rd Annual Golden GlobesThe 78th Annual Tony Awards
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