Hollywood’s top celebrity moms rubbed shoulders with Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos Saturday evening at the 10th annual Baby2Baby Gala in Los Angeles to raise money for children living in poverty. More than 800 guests, including Baby2Baby stalwarts Jennifer Garner, Kate Hudson, Kerry Washington, and Jessica Alba, showed up in high fashion to honor Vanessa Bryant, Kobe Bryant’s widow, for her commitment to help children in need.
Held under a sprawling tent at the Pacific Design Center, the elegant group of partygoers dressed in lavish gowns flocked to Bezos, attempting to get some face time with the mogul. Alba, who is one of America’s richest self-made women thanks to her consumer-goods company, Honest, was seated next to Bezos and his girlfriend Lauren Sánchez, and was able to chat with the billionaire. At an adjacent table, Garner socialized with Mandy Moore and Hilary Duff. Adam Sandler, sporting a bushy beard, took a lap around the tent and stopped to chat with director Judd Apatow and wife Leslie Mann. Across the room, Hudson was enjoying some caviar while speaking with her fiancé, Danny Fujikawa. Adam Levine and wife Behati Prinsloo held hands while checking out the dinner stations that served sushi from Nobu, vegan crab cakes from Craig’s, and black-truffle pastrami Reuben sandwiches from Wexler’s Deli. Miranda Kerr stayed close to her husband, Snap Inc. CEO Evan Spiegel, near the bar.
Kerry Washington, Jessica Alba, Vanessa Bryant, Jennifer Garner and Kate Hudson
By Stefanie Keenan/Getty Images.James Corden, the evening’s host, kicked off the party by poking fun at Bezos. Corden referred to the entrepreneur as “world-renowned astronaut Jeffrey Bezos” and thanked him “for spending a few days down on this planet here to support this cause.” Corden then joked about the Amazon tycoon’s playful tweet warning Leonardo DiCaprio after a viral video showed Sánchez, a former television reporter, hitting it off with DiCaprio at the LACMA Art+Film Gala on November 6.
“Now listen, don’t worry, Jeff. I want you to know, I have personally taken it upon myself to make sure that Leonardo DiCaprio is not here this evening, okay,” said Corden from the stage. “Don’t ask me how, but I did it, alright. I was there with you, brother. We’ve all been there. There’s a lot of men in this room here with partners who are way more attractive than they are. If Leonardo DiCaprio arrives later, and all the men that are here whose wives are more attractive than them—me and Scott Stuber [head of original films at Netflix]—we’re going to form sort of a cone of protection around you. Don’t worry.”
Bezos looked at Sánchez and smiled and laughed at the joke. Meanwhile, DiCaprio’s longtime girlfriend, actress Camila Morrone, sat at a table nearby and found the jab amusing. She was seen grinning.
Nicole Richie and Mindy Kaling served as the evening’s auctioneers. Kaling quipped that “this is a room of my richest frenemies,” and urged guests to use their phones to pledge donations. Bezos committed $500,000. Alba donated $50,000 as well as 10 million items from the Honest Company over the next year. Stylist Rachel Zoe gave $25,000. Matthew McConaughey and his wife Camila Alves gave $10,000 via text. The night raised more than $8.5 million.
Baby2Baby, the nonprofit organization led by co-CEOs Kelly Sawyer Patricof and Norah Weinstein, has distributed more than 200 million essential items such as diapers, baby wipes, clothing, and school supplies to children in homeless shelters, domestic violence programs, foster care, and underserved schools across the country. Due to COVID-19, the need for basic necessities continues to grow. Washington took to the stage and gave an impassioned speech about how “enraged” she is that homelessness, joblessness, and poverty still prevail in our society. The Emmy winner shared that she grew up poor, but her family was able to receive resources and opportunities that provided relief. She pleaded to the crowd that social support systems like Baby2Baby are driven by a commitment toward caring for one another and are more vital than ever in today’s society.
“I come to you as a kid from the Bronx who knows too well, and if it weren’t for the grace of God in my life and generous support from wealthy people and generous institutions and social services geared toward equity, things could have been very different for me,” she said. “I knew that my parents loved me very much and they worked tremendously hard and made enormous sacrifices to provide for our family. But my parents also had structural resources and strong social services that offered them opportunities to succeed.”
Vanessa Bryant made a rare public appearance with her three daughters, Natalia, Bianka, and Capri, all by her side to accept the Giving Tree Award for supporting Baby2Baby for the past seven years. It’s the first official family event since Kobe, 13-year-old daughter Gianna, six family friends, and the pilot died in a helicopter crash in January 2020. Dressed in a pink-feathered gown by designer Pamella Roland, Bryant matched with Natalia, her oldest daughter, who wore a pink satin dress. In a taped message, Kim Kardashian described Bryant as “the cool mom, she’s the beautiful mom, the silly mom, the warm mom, she is the best mom.” Onstage, singer Ciara was in tears as she presented her with the award.
“I have to start by saying how much I miss my perfect date tonight. My husband Kobe loved attending Baby2Baby galas,” Bryant said while fighting back tears at the podium. Kobe last attended the 2019 gala with his wife. “With his big smile, he would look at me and say, ‘Babe, this is freakin’ awesome. Tonight I’m your plus one.’ He would say, ‘It’s the one event I’m not obligated to do anything. I get to be your date, help families, and enjoy great food.’”
An emotional Bryant continued her speech by describing how she and Kobe noticed the sheer number of homeless people on the drive home from the Staples Center after a Lakers basketball game, which inspired their activism.
“That was eye-opening to us and we wanted to do something about it. So we started our own foundation to help. As time went on I was introduced to Baby2Baby, so I wanted to get involved with them…I want to thank my husband Kobe, my daughters, Natalia, Gianna, Bianka, Capri, and all of our close friends and family. Without your love and support I wouldn’t have the strength to be here this evening. I love you.”
The opulent party ended with Ciara giving a crowd-pleasing performance of her hit songs and the crowd dancing.
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