26-02-2025
'TIME' Celebrates Women of the Year Including Nicole Kidman, Olivia Munn, Avery Colvert
"Well I was told I would be doing a small toast from the table, and now I'm standing on this stage ... with nothing prepared," said honoree Nicole Kidman at the TIME 2025 Women of the Year gala celebrating this year's list at the West Hollywood Edition on Feb. 25.
"I said, 'What should I talk about'? And they said, 'Just speak from the heart.' So I am," Kidman continued. "The acronym that I thought of about 'HOPE' was: Honor each other, create Opportunities for each other, Orotect each other and Encourage each other. And that's what this room is doing tonight. They're — all of you — are creating hope. ... May the work continue, and may the future be bright for all of us."
The evening began with a cocktail hour in the verdant restaurant Ardor over lively tunes by DJ Shay. Then, the chicly dressed group of ladies and a few gents — including notables Anna Cathcart, Sophia Bush, Whitney Cummings, Karen Pittman, Dylan Mulvaney, Lucy Hale and Kat Graham — migrated into the ballroom for a dinner and program presented by P&G, Rolex, Amazon, Chase, Deloitte, American Heart Association and Toyota.
"[TIME is] a platform for changemakers — and that's one of the many reasons I'm so proud to be the CEO," said Jessica Sibley, who welcomed guests. Then, as gala-goers enjoyed a salad and sea bass, the group of this year's distinguished women made toasts, including founder/ CEO of Women in Liberation & Leadership Fatou Baldeh, WNBA champion and Olympic gold medalist A'ja Wilson, Feeding America CEO Claire Babineaux-Fontenot.
Avery Colvert received her honor for founding Altadena Girls — "a late-night idea dreamt up only 46 long days ago when my neighborhood, school and friends' houses were burning down," the 14-year-old said of the Eaton Fire. "To go from feeling scared, depressed and hopeless to feeling empowered, supported and hopeful about the future in such as a short amount of time goes to show the incredible power of kindness and community."
Actress Daphnee Duplaix previewed her new soap opera, CBS' Beyond the Gates, and spoke about the first Black actors ever cast in the genre: "P&G [Procter & Gamble] has a legacy of pioneering moments in soaps. They cast Cicely Tyson as the first Black actress on daytime television in Guiding Light. And James Earl Jones made history as the first African American man in a recurring role in As the World Turns."
Actress Olivia Munn recalled a great day — when both she and her now-five-month-old baby daughter, who'd had medical issues on account of her small feet and larger thighs ("brioche buns that could feed a family of seven"), felt healthy. "I have years to go with my cancer treatment," Munn said, "but on that Friday, my joints didn't ache, and I wasn't too hot or too cold from going into a surgical menopause and my brain fog had cleared — for at least that day, anyway. ... And as I held my daughter, I was so grateful that healthy enough to see every minute of it all. Each day brings with it its own problems, and my hope is that you'll be healthy enough to enjoy them. So protect your health — and love your body like you're a chunky newborn baby."
