Britney Spears, Twitter’s Biggest Olympics Fan, Finally Met Adam Rippon and Gus Kenworthy
After a long couple of months, three American icons have finally met, and it was only a matter of time before they took their social media camaraderie to real life.
On Thursday night, Britney Spears‘s efforts to support the LGBTQ community were recognized when she was honored with a Vanguard prize as a special honoree at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles, while Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy and Olympic skater Adam Rippon presented awards at the ceremony honoring the inclusion of LGBTQ community across the media. There’s a reason Britney Spears is heralded as a gay icon: For years, she has advocated the support of LGBTQ youth, signing letters in protest of transphobic bathroom bills and reaching out to fans in need.
The Internet has been waiting for a meeting between this trio for months; Spears was rooting for Team USA during the Winter Olympics, when she tweeted, “Hey @Adaripp…. I just wanted let you know that I am a fan, I am not in denial, and that you are THE MOST FUN!! Keep making us all smile at the #WinterOlympics and good luck today,” followed by “So proud of #TeamUSA!! Hey @guskenworthy, gimme, gimme more on the slopes today!! #ItsGusBitch ??⛷” after Rippon took to the ice and Kenworthy hit the slopes to compete. Of course, both Olympians replied with shock and gratitude after checking their mentions, with Rippon specifically noting the unmitigated impact the pop icon has made on Instagram.
Both Kenworthy and Rippon have been outspoken about their sexuality and the importance of LGBTQ representation in sports and the media. The two Olympians took the stage together and also shared a surprise kiss onstage while presenting an award during the ceremony.
Rippon, who has a habit of meeting up with his online friends offline also tweeted that he could only think of those iconic fashion shows Spears has been bestowing upon the Instagram community for nearly two years now while he was headed to meet his idol. The ally was presented her Vanguard award by another pop icon: Ricky Martin, who announced to the audience, “She could be one of those stars with a huge LGBTQ following that says nothing and does nothing, but instead she uses her platform to remind audiences around the globe that intolerance is unacceptable.”
Spears teased a photo of the meeting on Instagram, but the 29th Annual GLAAD Media Awards will air on LOGO on April 18, so we’ll all have to wait until then to see what else went down offstage between the three of them. Hopefully, Spears will be Twitter-cheering Rippon on when he joins the upcoming athlete superstar season of Dancing With The Stars.
Related: Britney Spears Just Landed a Major Fashion Campaign—Why Has It Taken This Long?
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