iHeartMedia taps Elton John, Katy Perry, others for 2022 Can’t Cancel Pride

John will be honored with first-ever Impact Award

This June, Procter & Gamble (P&G) and iHeartMedia invite people everywhere to join “Can’t Cancel Pride – Proud AND Together,” a fundraiser for the LGBTQ+ community celebrating visibility and inclusivity for all. The event will feature performances and appearances from some of the most influential voices in the community as well as the biggest names in culture and entertainment, including Elton John, Katy Perry, Sam Smith, Lizzo, Anitta, Dove Cameron, Betty Who, Kim Petras and more from the iHeartRadio Theater Los Angeles and remote locations across the country. This year, the event will be hosted by singer, actress and social media phenom JoJo Siwa, who received a special honor at last year’s event for being a young trailblazer in the community.

The third annual event will focus on the challenges and celebrations of being “Proud AND Together,” showcasing the activism and the issues that continue to impact the LGBTQ+ community in 2022, as well as intersectional messages of spirit and strength.

This year, Elton John will be honored with the first-ever Impact Award for his humanitarian work through the Elton John AIDS Foundation, which is celebrating its 30th year. The event will recognize the history and incredible impact his organization has made to overcome the stigma, discrimination and neglect that keeps us from ending AIDS.

“As we’ve proven over the past two years, you Can’t Cancel Pride. Even with a global pandemic raging, we’ve been able to bring the community together with the most influential artists to celebrate Pride and raise consciousness and funds for some heroic organizations while working to support the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in communities around the nation,” states Gayle Troberman, Chief Marketing Officer for iHeartMedia. “This year is a big moment as we emerge from lockdown to celebrate diversity and inclusion while continuing to champion the LGBTQ organizations that create a more equal and welcoming world for all.”

With support from brands including P&G, Chevrolet, Bounty, Braun, Charmin, Dawn, Downy, GilletteLabs, Metamucil, Pampers, Pantene, Tide, Venus and VÖOST Vitamins, the one-hour benefit special, produced by iHeartMedia and P&G, will stream on June 14th at 8 pm ET/5 pm PT on iHeartRadio’s TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, pages, iHeartRadio’s PrideRadio.com and Revry. The event will later be available on-demand until June 30th on iHeartRadio’s YouTube, Facebook and Revry.

“Can’t Cancel Pride” will distribute financial support raised by the event to LGBTQ+ organizations with a track record of positive impact and support of the LGBTQ+ community including GLAAD, SAGE, The Trevor Project, the National Black Justice Coalition, CenterLink, and OutRight Action International. In its first two years, “Can’t Cancel Pride” has raised over $8.3 million for these organizations. In 2021 alone, the event reached 6.3 million viewers and listeners.

The event will kick off a month-long Pride celebration throughout June. iHeartMedia radio stations will air spots encouraging listeners to tune into the livestream on June 14th and watch the event on demand.

Buddy Iahn
Buddy Iahn

Buddy Iahn founded The Music Universe when he decided to juxtapose his love of web design and music. As a lifelong drummer, he decided to take a hiatus from playing music to report it. The website began as a fun project in 2013 to one of the top independent news sites. Email: info@themusicuniverse.com