Here’s what Molner and I got up to at this star-studded soiree.
It’s always a starry, starry night at the Time 100, and this year was no exception.
As a two-time alum of the Time 100 (2004 and 2006), it was fun to be invited back to an event celebrating not only the people who are making a difference in 2023, but the 100th anniversary of the magazine.
There were plenty of celebrities from the world of entertainment: Ali Wong (who is in our bedroom every night, thanks to her wickedly subversive show Beef) in an exquisite ensemble, Padma Lakshmi (who is breathtakingly beautiful), Drew Barrymore (who exudes her unique, quirky brand of positivity), Aubrey Plaza (who isn’t exactly “positive” but whose career has exploded since playing the sly, sulky and perspicacious Harper on White Lotus), Amy Poehler (who I’ve always loved, even when she portrayed me as a serial blinker while impersonating me during my Sarah Palin interview on SNL), Elvis doppelgänger Austin Butler and his date Kaia Gerber (who is a dead ringer for her mom, supermodel Cindy Crawford). Skiers extraordinaire Lindsey Vonn and Mikaela Shiffrin were there, too. (Clearly, lots of powerful estrogen floating around the Time Warner Center.)
Despite the clear night, Lea Michelle knocked “Don’t Rain on My Parade” out of the park (does she ever disappoint?) and Doja Cat sang and sashayed across the stage. The hostess with the mostess was none other than Jennifer Coolidge, who, as they say, is having a later career moment that’s got scores of fans of all ages cheering her on.
While I was starstruck, as always, it was an even bigger thrill to meet some of the less-known members of the class of 2023 because of the incredible work they’re doing. I chatted with Andrea Kritcher, the lead laser engineer and the principal experimentalist at the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, California. She’s working on smashing hydrogen atoms to provide limitless clean energy. Britney Schmidt and Peter Davis are climate change scientists who have done remarkable work analyzing how glaciers deform — melting from the bottom up — and the dire consequences of sea levels rising to two feet as the earth heats up.
Tracie D. Hall, the first African American woman to lead the American Library Association since its inception in 1876, is working upstream to increase access to a diverse range of books and authors in an era when many politicians are pushing for the opposite. Then there was Deborah Lipstadt, who has fought antisemitism on campus, in the courts, and in the halls of power as these acts of hate surge. She has aptly noted that antisemitism might start with the Jews, but it never ends with the Jews.
If these people don’t give you hope that there are brighter, more peaceful days ahead, I don’t know who or what can. These may not be household names, but the work they’re doing quietly, diligently, and out of the spotlight will have a tremendous impact. And if their efforts are successful, they’ll hopefully help Time Magazine — and the country — enjoy at least another 100 years.
