Ariana Grande, Reese Witherspoon and More Attend the WSJ Innovators Dinner at MoMA in New York
On Tuesday night in New York, the WSJ Innovator Awards brought an influential and wide-ranging crowd out to the Museum of Modern Art.
The evening began with a cocktail in the museum’s lobby that sometimes left the stars star-struck: Ariana Grande’s mouth dropped in awe as she entered the room while WNBA player A’ja Wilson posed with glammed-up New York Liberty mascot Ellie the Elephant. (Ellie was a popular photo op throughout cocktail hour.)
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Soon, Grande was holding court where the carpet delivered guests back into cocktail hour. Grande posed for photos with Reese WItherspoon and Tim Cook as photographers, handlers and bodyguards encircled them — not your usual New York party photo trio.
“You look gorgeous,” said Charli XCX, holding Grande’s hands as she took in the star’s Vivienne Westwood Bridal look. Grande was soon joined by her “Wicked” costar Cynthia Erivo, who was dressed in green for the evening. The pair walked off hand-in-hand to the carpet, where they found “Wicked” director Jon M. Chu.
The duo were on hand to present Chu his WSJ Innovator award later in the evening. The director was being honored alongside “Saturday Night Live,” Cook, Marc Jacobs, Charli XCX, the WNBA and Salma Hayek Pinault for their innovation in categories that ranged from fashion to music and philanthropy.
The awards presentation kicked off after a seated dinner, with Kate McKinnon first up to the stage to present the award to “SNL.”
“When I was asked to present for the WSJ Magazine Innovator Awards, I assumed it was of course for Women’s Sexy Jugs magazine,” the “SNL” alum said. “But no — that magazine has moved on to greener pastures.” Current cast members Kenan Thompson, Heidi Gardner and Bowen Yang accepted the award on behalf of the long-running sketch show.
“We’re accepting this honor tonight instead of [creator Lorne Michaels] because Lorne is the kind of person who always wants others to shine,” Gardner said. “And he also didn’t want to write a speech.”
Sarah Paulson next introduced Marc Jacobs for the fashion award, first reading a statement from Miuccia Prada.
“As a person who likes clothes, I am always waiting to see your latest ideas and the place and how you present them. Because of your genuine interest in the world that surrounds you, you are capable of a vision that transcends fashion and makes your work successful both intellectually and emotionally,” Paulson read, before sharing her personal love for the brand and designer, whose face she had taped to the walls of her teenage bedroom.
“Reflecting on my career as a fashion designer, I often find myself reviewing past collections with an eye for how they could have been better. An endless drive to refine, push and pursue the best of what I believe fashion can be,” Jacobs said. “Yet, amid this critical reflection, I am consistently proud of the extraordinary work of my team and I,” he added. “Over time, I’ve come to recognize that the persistent voice urging me to improve is in many ways fear. And while fear speaks of insecurity, it has often propelled me toward growth, reminding me of the passion I hold for my work and the power of moving forward despite doubt.”
Erivo and Grande followed Jacobs with an introduction for Chu. “He is truly an extraordinary wizard — the good kind, though,” Grande said.
Chu paid tribute to his family’s restaurant in San Francisco, honing in on his father’s unseen work in the kitchen as his inspiration as a creative.
“Making things is like that. We get dressed up and get to come here and come to a fancy party and it’s very nice and people think this is who we are. But most of the time, as you know, we’re alone, writing and skating out ideas,” he said. “Trying to do the best we can do, even though we know it may not be enough.”
A week out from the election, the event mostly steered clear of politics, although Aubrey Plaza took the opportunity to rebuke comedian Tony Hinchcliffe’s recent Puerto Rico joke from Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally this past weekend with a direct, and succinct, expletive. The actress then introduced Wilson to the stage to accept the honor on behalf of the WNBA. Wilson noted that she wasn’t originally planning to return to New York until the start of the next basketball season — but made an exception for the evening.
Emily Ratajakowsi offered an introduction for Charli XCX, whose “Brat” album was the cultural breakout of the summer.
“Luckily for me, the pendulum of culture swung in favor of messiness, personality and the niche,” said Charli. “I’m not really sure when the pendulum will swing back into a different place, but all I can say is that I’m so happy that right now the music industry is in a place where it embraces female artists for their authenticity and their individualism.”
Witherspoon introduced Cook, applauding her relationship with Apple through “The Morning Show” and collaborations with her eponymous book club.
“To all of my fellow honorees, it’s a privilege to share this stage with you. The world is a better place because of your imagination, your energy, and all that you create,” Cook told the room. “Let’s keep doing all we can to support innovation everywhere, to unlock the impossible, and lift up others for generations to come.”
Hayek Pinault closed out the presentation, accepting her award after an introduction by Linda Evangelista and Penelope Cruz. Hayek’s speech touched on her early career move from Mexican telenovelas to Hollywood, the underappreciated work of immigrant restaurant and farm workers, her dedication to philanthropy, and divulged into a critique of an AI-written speech. Sixteen minutes in, music piped through the room’s speakers: Hayek was getting played offstage, Oscars-style. An after party, DJ’d by The Dare, awaited the crowd downstairs.
“Yes, I’m finishing. This is the last thing. I’m going to say it really fast,” said Hayek, ending her speech with a tribute to her longtime business partner, José ‘Pepe’ Tamez. The pair were broke and jobless when they first started out in the U.S., and Hayek asked why he’d decided to take the risk alongside her.
“And he said: ‘for the laughter.’”
Launch Gallery: Ariana Grande, Charli XCX, Cynthia Erivo, and More at the WSJ Innovator Awards
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