The Hollywood Reporter Will Honor Ronan Farrow at its 'Women in Entertainment' Gala

The Hollywood Reporter (THR) today announced that Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Ronan Farrow will receive the Equity in Entertainment Award at its annual Women in Entertainment breakfast gala on Wednesday, December 11, 2019. The honor, which recognizes an individual who has worked against gender-based discrimination and toward greater inclusion of women and people of color in the entertainment industry, will be presented by former Fox News anchor, whistleblower and journalist Gretchen Carlson.

Farrow, who broke the first allegations of rape and sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein in The New Yorker, is the author of the newly released The New York Times best-seller "Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators," which chronicles how he followed a trail of clues from the Weinstein story to others about the systems that protect powerful men in Hollywood, Washington and beyond.

"As journalists, we have a social responsibility to report the facts and unearth the truths," said THR editorial director Matthew Belloni. "Ronan Farrow was, and is, instrumental to the current state of the entertainment industry. He, alongside THE BRAVE women that shared their stories, served as catalysts that will forever change all industries. We're humbled to honor him with the Equity in Entertainment Award for his industry-shaking work uncovering abuse against women in entertainment."

Emmy® and Golden Globe®-nominated actor and producer Kerry Washington (founding member of Time's Up, "American Son," "Little Fires Everywhere") will present previously announced honoree Reese Witherspoon with the prestigious Sherry Lansing Leadership Award. Additionally, EGOT titleholder John Legend ("Surviving R. Kelly") will join Charlize Theron to present $1.5 million in university scholarships to high-school seniors from under-served communities in South and East Los Angeles, all of whom have taken part in THR's acclaimed Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program.

The Women in Entertainment breakfast gala, attended by 600 of the leading women in entertainment, coincides with the release of the special issue, on newsstands December 11, 2019. Carlson, Farrow, Legend, Theron, Washington and Witherspoon will be joined by guest editor, Olivia Wilde and keynote speaker, Stacey Abrams.

Women in Entertainment is presented by Lifetime and sponsored by Loyola Marymount University in partnership with the Entertainment Industry Foundation. The breakfast will also be attended by 40 young women currently taking part in the WIE Mentorship Program, celebrating its forthcoming 10th anniversary. Each year, the program pairs 20 high-school juniors with some of the top women in film and TV. Mentors have included Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke, Imax Entertainment president Megan Colligan, and Disney TV Studios-ABC Entertainment chairman Dana Walden. More than 200 girls and 200 mentors have taken part in the program, with the mentees going on to universities including Harvard, Berkeley and UCLA, supported by $7.8 million that THR has raised in scholarships.

Women in Entertainment is part of a dedicated week of programming produced by Billboard-The Hollywood Reporter Media Group focused on honoring top female artists and executives in entertainment and music. The week includes: Billboard's annual Women in Music dinner and awards ceremony, held in conjunction with the release of BILLBOARD'S WOMEN IN MUSIC issue; a new She Is the Music songwriting bootcamp; a reception celebrating the 10th anniversary of THR's acclaimed Mentorship Program; and other events.