Not being told beforehand about their father's plan, the Emmy-winning director's children felt 'shocked and blindsided' by the epic proposal.
- Sep 19, 2018
AceShowbiz - Glenn Weiss' daughters were as shocked as the rest of the world when he surprisingly proposed to his girlfriend Jan Friedlander Svendsen at the 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards on Monday night, September 17. But while many thought it was sweet and romantic, his children were not moved by the proposal.
According to Page Six, Weiss' 17-year-old and 21-year-old daughters from his marriage to an ex-wife were upset that their father didn't give them a heads-up about his plan. "They were completely shocked and blindsided," a source tells the site.
"He could have been a man and gone to them first and said, 'Hey, I'm planning on doing this. I didn't want you to be surprised,' " the source explains. "He's coming across as this great romantic hero, but it was pretty thoughtless."
Weiss' ex-wife reportedly also works in the TV industry, but people in the community were allegedly shocked when Weiss suddenly made his relationship with Svendsen public. An insider goes on claiming that he/she didn't think Weiss was that kind of person who would like to draw attention to his personal life.
It's additionally noted that while Weiss said during a press conference after the Emmy ceremony that he and Svendsen had been together for "10 years or so," court records show that he and his ex only began divorce proceedings in 2008.
Weiss proposed to his girlfriend Svendsen during his acceptance speech after winning an award for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special for The Oscars. Calling her the "sunshine" of his life, he added, "You wonder why I don't like to call you my girlfriend? Because I want to call you my wife."
The crowd erupted into cheers as Svendsen, who realized Weiss' intention, made her way on to the stage and join Weiss. The director then got on one knee and presented her with the ring his father gave to his mother 67 years ago, and that's how they got engaged in front of audience at the Microsoft Theater and viewers all around the world.
The newly-engaged couple appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday night to talk about the most tweeted-about moment of the Emmys. The two seemed to celebrate their engagement by having a toast in bed.
Asked by host Jimmy Kimmel if she knew what Weiss was planning, Svendsen said, "As evidenced by my reaction, the answer is I had no idea at all." Kimmel jokingly told her, "You're going to win the Emmy for best guest performance at next year's awards."
Weiss admitted that he didn't have a backup plan if he didn't win that night, though he said that a proposal would eventually happen sooner or later. He also said that he was worried he'd be played off during his speech, but he had planned everything he wanted to say onstage.
The couple later surprised "JKL" audience when it was revealed that they were actually behind the curtain in the studio all the time during the interview. "Go ahead, make love for everybody," Kimmel jokingly said to the happy couple, before deciding to give them some privacy.
