Parkland Survivors Star at Time 100 Gala

NEW YORK — The last year has been difficult for Time magazine.

In November, it was sold with its corporate siblings People, Sports Illustrated, Entertainment Weekly and In Style to the Meredith Corp. in a $2.8 billion deal. Then in March 2018, Meredith declared that it was selling the magazines that don’t fit its “main portfolio” — Time chief among them.

That made the Time 100 Gala on Tuesday night, which celebrated the magazine’s 100 Most Influential People issue, more than just another party. It was to show that Time was still relevant.

And there were big gets. In the cocktail area at the Time Warner Center, Leslie Jones was rocking a flat top, a white blazer and a pair of black sunglasses that gave her a Grace Jones by way of a Supreme drop vibe. Nearby was Maxine Waters, the California congresswoman whose ability to throw shade at Donald Trump and the Republicans earned her a place among the Time class of 2018.

How much longer did Waters think Trump would be in office for her to kick around? “Not long,” she said. “I hope.”

Just after 8, guests made their way into a tiered amphitheater for dinner. The biggest stars were on the lower levels, yet the traffic seemed to be flowing to the top, where Emma González and other survivors of the Parkland, Florida, school shooting were seated.

Celebrities of all stripes wanted to meet González, though she herself said the person she really wanted to meet was Trevor Noah. “Not to be that hipster person, but I love his comedy,” she said.

Moments later an arugula salad was served, and Time’s editor-in-chief, Edward Felsenthal, spoke from the stage about the challenges of journalism, but noted happily that the magazine had wrangled more honorees in 2018 than in any other year. A video montage paid tribute to honorees such as Judy Chicago, Tiffany Haddish and Elon Musk. Then the singer Shawn Mendes performed four songs from his debut album.

Jennifer Lopez, a 2018 honoree, was sitting at the foot of the stage with her boyfriend Alex Rodriguez, who livestreamed the performance on his phone. When the music got romantic, so did Lopez, who turned to Rodriguez and planted a big one on his cheek.

A pot roast dinner was served, and honorees gave toasts to people who had inspired them. Nice Nailantei Leng’ete, an anti-genital-mutilation activist from Kenya, paid tribute to her older sister. Sterling Brown, from “This Is Us,” thanked his high school math teacher who taught him to work hard and aim high. The figure skater Adam Rippon raised a glass to his mother.

“I met Nicole Kidman tonight, and she even let me smell her husband,” Rippon said. “If it wasn’t for the words my mother taught me — ‘Never give up on your dreams’ — I would never have had that experience.”

Just after 10, the lights went down again, and Lopez hit the stage in a white “Dynasty"-esque dress, holding a sequined microphone that matched her Louboutins. She gyrated to her big dance anthem “Waiting for Tonight,” then segued into “If You Had My Love.”

Jones was nearby, mouthing Lopez’s songs word for word. RuPaul was on his feet, admiring Lopez’s behind as if it were the eighth wonder of the world.

“This is the gayest Time 100 ever,” said the photographer Patrick McMullan, shortly before Lopez exited from stage right, where she got a big hug from Arianna Huffington.