Academy Museum Gala Raises Over $14 Million with Star-Studded Celebration and Taylor Swift Performance

The Academy Museum Gala convened for its sixth annual fundraising celebration, drawing Hollywood’s elite to support the museum’s exhibitions and educational programs. The star-studded evening successfully raised over $14 million, culminating in a highly anticipated headline performance by Taylor Swift.

Hosted in partnership with Rolex, the event supports the museum’s vital exhibitions, educational initiatives, and public programming. This year, distinguished special awards were presented to Charlize Theron, Colman Domingo, and legendary filmmaker John Carpenter, solidifying the gala’s reputation as the “Met Gala of the West Coast.”

Co-chairs Tom Ford, Robert Rodriguez, Steven Spielberg, and Kate Capshaw guided the evening’s proceedings. Jamie Lee Curtis and Rodriguez honored John Carpenter with the Luminary Award, while Sigourney Weaver presented Charlize Theron with the Icon Award. Following the dinner service, Judd Apatow and Tom Ford awarded Colman Domingo the Vantage Award.

To cap off the evening, Conan O’Brien took the stage to introduce Taylor Swift, highlighting their collaboration on Toy Story 5. Swift delivered a captivating performance featuring renditions of ‘Blank Space,’ ‘Love Story,’ ‘The Fate of Ophelia,’ and the Toy Story original song ‘I Knew It, I Knew You,’ the latter of which she is championing for Best Original Song consideration at the Oscars.

The gala has rapidly established itself as a pivotal stop on the awards season campaign trail, with attendees laying crucial groundwork for the upcoming Oscar race in March. While the creative teams behind La Bola Negra, You Can See Everything, Obsession, and Project Hail Mary were well-represented, there was a notably sparse turnout from the high-profile teams of The Odyssey and the highly anticipated Dune: Part Three.

Upon arrival, guests posed against a backdrop themed to ‘The Horror Show,’ the museum’s latest horror-themed exhibition. John Carpenter, whose award directly celebrated his contributions to the exhibit, was the first to arrive, playfully flashing rock-on gestures and interacting with photographers.

While Swift was expected to make a late entrance in line with the ‘bigger the name, the later the arrival’ protocol of such events, she actually arrived midway through the evening. The superstar was seen mingling in the cocktail reception area, catching up with Dakota and Elle Fanning as they concluded their photo sessions. Once inside, Swift was also spotted spending time with close friends Sabrina Carpenter and Cara Delevingne.

The evening’s red carpet concluded with appearances from Connor Storrie, Teyana Taylor, Jodie Turner-Smith, and the Kardashian-Jenner duo, who annually close out the event. Kim Kardashian and Kendall Jenner posed for photos, while Jenner’s boyfriend, Jacob Elordi, captured video of her posing on his phone. After the famous sisters cleared the step-and-repeat, Elordi took his own photos before rejoining the group out of the photographers’ view.

In addition to the industry’s heavyweights, the evening served as a premier gathering for Hollywood’s rising stars, including Curry Barker, Inde Navarrette, Kane Parsons, Belmont Cameli, Stephen Kalyn, McKenna Grace, and Alexa Demie.

The event also brought out a significant portion of the Academy Museum Gala host committee, featuring prominent names such as Jessica Alba, Judd Apatow, Leslie Mann, Autumn Durald Arkapaw, Adrien Brody, Georgina Chapman, Jon M. Chu, Kirsten Dunst, Nicholas Galitzine, Ludwig Göransson, Serena Göransson, Regina Hall, Kate Hudson, Jessica Lange, Greta Lee, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Rami Malek, Demi Moore, Olivia Munn, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Questlove, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Seth Rogen, Lauren Miller Rogen, Bird Runningwater, and Teyana Taylor.

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