Marlo Thomas, Television’s First Independent Single Woman, Tireless Champion of Children, and a Founding Mother of the Modern Feminist Movement, to be Honored at 48th Annual Gracie Awards Gala on May 23

LOS ANGELES, CA (May 18 , 2023) – Today, the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) announce that legendary Marlo Thomas will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 48th Annual Gracie Awards Gala, taking place on May 23, 2023, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Los Angeles. The Gracies Lifetime Achievement Award honors a woman in media who exemplifies and embodies the essence of the late, great media trailblazer Gracie Allen, the namesake of the Gracie Awards.

“Marlo Thomas is not only a true icon of the entertainment industry, but a visionary whose work has left a lasting impact on society,” said Becky Brooks, President of the AWMF. “Her groundbreaking role as Ann Marie in ‘That Girl’ shattered stereotypes and opened doors for women in television. Furthermore, Marlo’s charitable and activist work with the Ms. Foundation for Women and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has transformed countless lives, making her a beacon of hope and inspiration to us all. She truly exemplifies the ethos of AWMF. We’re proud to honor her with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Thomas is an award-winning actress, author and activist whose body of work continues to impact American entertainment and culture. She has been honored with four Emmy Awards, the Peabody, a Golden Globe and a Grammy, and has been inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame. In November 2014, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest honor a civilian can receive—by President Barack Obama at a White House ceremony.

She burst onto the scene as television’s That Girl, which broke new ground for independent women everywhere, and which she also conceived and produced. Her pioneering spirit continued with her creation of the children’s entertainment project, Free to Be…You and Me, which became a platinum album, best-selling book, Emmy Award-winning television special and a stage show. In March of 2021, the original recordwas entered into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress to underscore its cultural significance. Proceeds from Free to Be…You and Me went toward the formation of the Ms. Foundation for Women, which was co-founded by Marlo, Gloria Steinem, Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Pat Carbine. They also created Take Our Daughters to Work Day.

Her body of work on television has consistently won her both popular and critical acclaim. In the 2022 holiday season, she co-starred in Hallmark’s A Magical Christmas Village (her first holiday movie since her classic It Happened One Christmas). Additionally, she has lent comedic turns to the Netflix miniseries Wet Hot American Summer:Ten Years Later and Warner Brothers’ Ocean’s 8. Other notable television appearances include her portrayal of a mentally ill woman in Nobody’s Child, for which she won the Emmy for Best Dramatic Actress, and numerous guest appearances on popular series, including Friends, in which she was nominated for an Emmy for her portrayal of Jennifer Aniston’s mom. She has won glowing reviews on stage, most recently in Elaine May’s 2012 Broadway comedy-drama, Relatively Speaking; and in Tony Award-winning playwright Joe DiPietro’s 2015 dark comedy, Clever Little Lies.

For her activism, Thomas has been honored with the Helen Caldicott Award for Nuclear Disarmament; the ACLU’s Thomas Paine Award; the American Women in Radio and Television Satellite Award; the William Kunstler Racial Justice Award; The National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award; and The Jefferson Award for Public Service, which she received along with Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

At its core, the Gracie Awards Gala supports AWMF’s charitable efforts. As a non-profit organization, AWMF is dedicated to creating educational programs, charitable activities, and scholarship initiatives that benefit women in the media. By investing in these initiatives, AWMF continues to foster growth, empowerment, and leadership opportunities for women across the industry.

About The Gracie Awards

The Gracie Awards is the largest fundraiser of the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation which advances women in media through educational programs and scholarships. The Gracie Awards honors exemplary programming and individual talent created by, for and about women. The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation has created partnerships and joint initiatives with the Emma Bowen Foundation, the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), NCTA – The Internet & Television Association and other organizations that are philosophically aligned with the mission of the Foundation. For more information about The Alliance for Women in Media Foundation and the Gracie Awards please visit allwomeninmedia.org and follow on Twitter (@AllWomeninMedia), (#TheGracies), Instagram (@allwomeninmedia),  Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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