Photos: Adele, Ariana DeBose & More Attend The Hollywood Reporter's Women in Entertainment Gala

This morning, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) hosted its annual Women in Entertainment Breakfast Gala at The Beverly Hills Hotel in Los Angeles, honoring singer-songwriter Adele and actor, producer and activist Kerry Washington for their contributions and impact within the industry.

The celebratory event, attended by 600 industry leaders and VIPs, and presented by Lifetime, raised over $1 Million in scholarships for graduates of THR’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.

The Gala also coincided with the publication of The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Power 100 Women in Entertainment list, which recognizes the most powerful female leaders and changemakers in Hollywood, many of which were in attendance. 

Actor, writer and producer Will Ferrell opened the program, noting, “this is such a wonderful event where we honor and support and continue to fight for women in all facets of the entertainment world.” He then joked, “forget about the entertainment world, isn’t it just time? Isn’t it just time for women to run the planet? I’m not just trying to placate you, I swear, but I don’t know what else to do because we — men — we’ve been running the show since, what, 10,000 B.C., and we’re not doing so good. So, please, can you guys just take over?”

Academy Award winner and 2010 Sherry Lansing Leadership Award honoree Helen Mirren presented Adele with the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, which recognizes trailblazers and philanthropists in Hollywood. Adele was recognized for her groundbreaking, record-setting career. Previous recipients of the award include Oprah Winfrey, Shonda Rhimes, Meryl Streep, Reese Witherspoon, Viola Davis, Barbra Streisand, and Charlize Theron. 

In her acceptance speech, Adele said, “And so, I stand here today as a testament to all of you, all of the women before me and beside me who broke down doors and left them open for us. I don’t have stories of how success was hard because it wasn’t, and I know that’s rare, and I know I’m lucky, but that’s because of you. A lot of you had to claim your power, and you’ve given me mine.”

Actress Ariana DeBose presented Kerry Washington with the Equity in Entertainment Award, which recognizes individuals who amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in film and television. Previous recipients have included Issa Rae, Selma Blair, Ryan Murphy, and Nina Jacobson. Washington has spent her career advocating for equity and representation both in Hollywood through her production company Simpson Street and in politics. 

Washington spoke about the importance of creating equity, telling the crowd: “We don’t cultivate equity without making space for each other’s truths. When stories from all different people and backgrounds are told, and people see their story reflected in our media and culture, that starts to weave a thread where everyone is included, and that’s a path to equity.”

Camila Cabello, Dua Lipa, Billie Lourd, and Lily Gladstone presented four full-ride scholarships to Chapman University and Loyola Marymount University as part of THR’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. 

Lipa introduced a special short film about the mentorship program, produced by A+E Studios. As a special surprise, Lipa handed out new Apple MacBook Air laptops to the incoming mentee class of 2024, generously provided by the Edie Wasserman Women in Hollywood Fund.

Casey Wasserman, through the Wasserman Foundation, created the Edie Wasserman Women in Hollywood Fund, named after his grandmother, to support tenacious and up-and-coming young business and creative women in their educational and career pursuits. 

Lipa also presented a scholarship to Chapman University underwritten by the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation.

Cabello then presented a scholarship to Loyola Marymount University, also underwritten by the Chuck Lorre Family Foundation before Gladstone then presented a scholarship to Chapman University, underwritten by the National Association of Theatre Owners California Nevada.

Billie Lourd then presented the Carrier Fisher Scholarship to Chapman University. Bryan Lourd first handed out the Carrie Fisher Scholarship in 2019 in honor of the late star, who was the mother of Billie Lourd.

Lifetime continued their support of the mentorship program, providing a $10,000 scholarship to each graduating mentee.

In total, the women presented over $1 million in scholarships. The program, founded 14 years ago by former THR Executive Editor and current Dean of the Chapman University film school Stephen Galloway, is a joint venture between THR and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles.

The best and brightest high school girls from underserved communities in the Los Angeles area are paired with top-level female entertainment executives, lawyers and agents. More than 275 mentees and 275 mentors have taken part in the program, with the mentees going on to universities including Harvard, UC Berkeley and Northwestern, supported by over $13 million in scholarships raised by THR.

The event was attended by some of Hollywood’s most prolific and notable actors, filmmakers, and industry executives including Kate Beckinsale, Connie Britton, Yaya DaCosta, Tonia Davis, Jessica Elbaum, Vivica Fox, Xochitl Gomez, Lori Grenier, Lucy Hale, Kathy Hilton, Sherry Lansing, Chuck Lorre, Victoria Monét, Kenya Moore, Tia Mowry, Crystal Minkoff, Ramsey Naito, Lauren Neustadter, Lele Pons, Jane Seymour, Alexandra Shipp, Lilly Singh, Jurnee Smollett, Robin Thede, Karen Toliver, Nia Vardalos, Diane Warren and more.

Check out the photos here:

Photos by Michael Kovac/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images