At the Time 100 Gala, Fame Came in Many Forms

New York Times

25-04-2025

Nine days earlier, Gayle King had been pilloried online as a Marie Antoinette like figure for asking critics of her 11-minute spaceflight 'have you been?' and suggesting they can't have a conversation about it until they have. But on Thursday evening, she walked the red carpet at the Time 100 Gala, her head held high and her green dress shimmering.
'I can't complain,' Ms. King said at 7:30 p.m., standing on the 16th floor of the building that was previously known as the Time Warner Center, but is now called the Deutsche Bank Center. 'My life is wonderful.'
To her left was one of the night's honorees, David Muir, an ABC News anchor whose bosses recently paid President Trump $15 million to settle a defamation suit he filed against the company.
To her right was the designer Georgina Chapman, whose ex-husband Harvey Weinstein was back on trial this week over sexual assault allegations. Ms. Chapman was attending the gala with her current boyfriend, the actor Adrien Brody, who was being honored at the event.
Ms. King turned to another celebrity on the line and moved toward her. 'Hi Scarlett,' she said, speaking to the actress Scarlett Johansson, who was also on the Time 100 list.
For much of the 20th century, Time was published weekly by Time Inc. Now, the magazine is owned by the tech billionaire Marc Benioff and is published biweekly. In the company's answer to events like the Met Gala, the Time 100 has become a petting zoo where contemporary artists get honored alongside champion athletes and take selfies together.
The artist Mickalene Thomas had never met the gymnast Simone Biles before Thursday night, but she wasn't shy about pulling out her phone for a selfie. 'She's legendary. Why not?'
Just as attendees were being ushered toward the dining area, the actors Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds, who are currently in the middle of a legal battle with the film director and actor Justin Baldoni, walked in.
Ms. Lively has accused Mr. Baldoni of misconduct on the set of the film 'It Ends With Us.' Mr. Baldoni has denied the accusations and sued Ms. Lively, her publicist Leslie Sloane, and The New York Times, which published a story about their feud, for defamation.
Was there something in the air on Thursday? A scent being delivered to attract people connected in various ways to recent controversies?
'Who knows,' said Ali Zelenko, the former chief spokeswoman for NBC News, who was attending with her new boss, Jonathan Greenblatt, the chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League. 'But it makes for good copy.'
'This is a complicated moment,' said Sam Jacobs, the editor in chief of Time. 'The Time 100 reflects that.'
The tiered dining room had a large stage on the lowest level. Behind it, glass windows showed off Central Park. Waiters served a kale and dandelion Caesar salad. Cameramen darted across the room, grabbing shots of the audience for a Time 100 special that will air on ABC in May.
Here was Demi Moore on the ground level at a table with her manager, Jason Weinberg, and Ms. Johannson. There at the next table over was Ms. Biles along with Serena Williams and the actor Adam Scott. Above them were Mr. Brody and Ms. Chapman.
The program began with a short speech by Jessica Sibley, Time's chief executive, who briefly talked about the vital role independent journalism plays in a functioning Democracy and then moved onto the longer business of thanking the evening's numerous corporate sponsors.
Shortly after the British singer Myles Smith performed his hit song, 'Stargazing,' Mr. Muir took control of the microphone to introduce another Time 100 recipient, Angeline Murimirwa, an activist from Zimbabwe who has spent decades creating educational opportunities for girls in Africa.
She was one of several speakers over the course of the evening, including Noa Argamani, an Israeli activist who was held captive by Hamas for 245 days.
To serve as comic relief, the magazine selected the rapper Snoop Dogg as the host of the program, though his appearances were somewhat sporadic.
'Man, I'm so proud of Simone Biles. Ain't y'all?' he said at one point. 'Me and Simone, we have a lot in common. She's an expert at the balance beam vault and the uneven bars and I'm really good at high jumping. I'm also good at high sitting, high rapping, and as you'll see for the next two hours, high hosting.' (He also suggested onstage that the only reason he was given a slot in this year's Time 100 was because the magazine needed a famous emcee.)
Around 9:30 p.m., a grilled branzino was served as the evening's main dish.
Ms. Biles called over a waiter to order a pair of margaritas for herself and Ms. Williams.
After that came a speech from Ms. Lively.
'I have so much to say about the last two years of my life, but tonight is not the forum,' she said, seemingly in reference to her experience with Mr. Baldoni.
Then, she spoke for several minutes about the pain women endure and the way they ultimately 'break' the hearts of their daughters when they, 'let them in the secret that we kept from them as they pranced around in princess dresses: that they are not and likely will never be safe. At work. At home. In a parking lot. In a medical office. Online. In any space they inhabit. Physically, emotionally, professionally.'
'But why does that torch have to be something we carry in private?' she asked. 'How can we not all agree on that basic human right?'
In the speech, Ms. Lively also thanked her mother, Elaine Lively, for helping her acquire her voice, as well as her 'sweet husband,' Mr. Reynolds, whom she described as one of the men 'who are kind and good when no one is watching.'
The event ended around 11 p.m. with a performance by the singer Ed Sheeran.
He also addressed Mr. Reynolds, albeit in less reverential terms.
Mr. Sheeran has a minority stake in Ipswich Town F.C., a soccer club located in Suffolk, England. Mr. Reynolds co-owns the Welsh soccer club Wrexham A.F.C.
Mr. Sheeran said his club would mess up Wrexham, using a more colorful term than that, before launching into a rendition of his signature hit, 'Shape of You.'