Good Power in Beverly Hills, Jennifer Hudson and Sharon Stone Headline Variety’s Power of Women
Hudson sang, Melissa McCarthy and Pearlena Igbokwe spoke for their causes, and Stone closed the night at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
On Wednesday, September 23, Variety’s Power of Women presented by Lifetime packed the Beverly Hills Hotel for its four honorees, Jennifer Hudson, Melissa McCarthy, Sharon Stone and the NBCUniversal television executive Pearlena Igbokwe. The comedian Iliza Shlesinger hosted, and each honoree used her time at the podium to point the room toward a cause. Velvet also covered One Night on Melrose, Iliza Shlesinger Headlines the Hollywood Improv Before Her 2027 Tour.
Hudson set the tone before any honoree took the stage, opening the evening with “I Will Always Love You.” Later The Jennifer Hudson Show took the Variety Changemaker Award, presented by Waymo, and she returned to spotlight the Jennifer Hudson Foundation. “I think we’ve been taught to shy away from embracing power. We are told to be strong, never told to be powerful. But power can be good, and in the right hands, power can change the world for the better. And what better hands than those of a woman?” she said.
Queen Latifah introduced Igbokwe, who spoke for A Better Chance, the nonprofit that introduced her to Kent Place. “So yes, my origin story started with hard work, but someone had to give me an opportunity. No one achieves anything alone,” she said.
Lauren Graham, McCarthy’s old Gilmore Girls collaborator, brought her up next. McCarthy championed the Joyful Heart Foundation and named Mariska Hargitay among the powerful women in her life. “When I say powerful, I don’t mean tough or strong, though they certainly are. For me, the greatest display of power are those willing to roll up their sleeves and help bring change,” she said.
Normani sang an acoustic “Motivation” before Issa Rae accepted the Entertainment Entrepreneur of the Year Award, and Paige DeSorbo received the Courage Award presented by the Purina Purple Leash Project.
Stone, supporting the ACLU, had the last word after remarks from Marc Maron. “You have to claw your way to the top. So, for those of us who got here, it’s the top of our heads that broke that glass ceiling that you’re all getting the benefits of,” she said. Bryce Dallas Howard, Jenna Dewan, Molly Sims and Karen Pittman were among the faces on the carpet.
