Jennifer Hudson, Pearlena Igbokwe, Melissa McCarthy and Sharon Stone were the guests of honor at the starry Variety Power of Women presented by Lifetime event in Beverly Hills Wednesday night, during which the musician, executive and actresses were commended for both their outstanding accomplishments and their dedicated commitment to a number of key causes. The annual event, hosted by multi-hyphenate comedian Iliza Shlesinger, brought a long list of influential talents to a packed Beverly Hills Hotel for an evening centered on both the Power of Women honorees and the accomplished women profiled in the annual Women’s Impact Report, which highlights leaders in the entertainment industry. And while Hudson, Igbokwe, McCarthy and Stone all have much to brag about, each of the women used their time on stage to turn the focus to the charities they were supporting and highlight the many different ways the term “powerful” can be applied.
Following introductory remarks from Variety‘s co-president and publisher Dea Lawrence, co-president and co-editor-in-chief Ramin Setoodeh and co-editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton — plus a show-stopping opening performance of “I Will Always Love You” by Hudson — the first honoree of the night was Igbokwe, introduced by Queen Latifah. The chairman of Universal Studios Group, Igbokwe spent more than 35 years helping shape the medium of television across prestige cable, broadcast, studios and now streaming. She used her speech to support the nonprofit A Better Chance.
This set me up for an Ivy League education, transforming the trajectory of my life and that of my entire family,” she said. No one achieves anything alone.” After an introduction by Molly Sims, Paige DeSorbo took to the podium next to receive the Courage Award presented by the Purina Purple Leash Project, a charity that helps create pet-friendly shelters for survivors of domestic abuse. DeSorbo discussed opening up about her experience surviving an abusive relationship as a teenager, why she decided to speak about it on her podcast “Giggly Squad and how her cat, Daphne, helps her feel safe.
I think that’s the incredible thing about our pets. They don’t need us to explain what we’re going through. They give us a sense of safety and remind us that we are loved, even when we don’t feel our strongest.
And that’s why the Purple Leash Project means so much to me.” “The Jennifer Hudson Show” was honored with the Variety Changemaker Award, presented by Waymo. Hudson, along with many of the show’s producers, accepted the award after an introduction by the company’s chief marketing officer, Suzanne Philion. Later in the evening, Hudson also took to the stage to spotlight the Jennifer Hudson Foundation and her show once more.
Power is an interesting idea. I think we’ve been taught to shy away from embracing power. We are told to be strong, never told to be powerful.
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