Elton John’s Annual Oscar Party Raises $9M for AIDS Foundation at Star-Studded Celebration

Tiffany Haddish, Emma Watson, Melanie Lynskey, Noah Schnapp and Michaela Jaé Rodriguez were among the thousand guests who joined Sir Elton John and David Furnish for their annual Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party in West Hollywood Park on Sunday night.

After a year away from his hosting duties due to a scheduling conflict in 2022, John returned to once again greet and entertain guests as his party entered its 31st year.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

• Oscars: Producer Glenn Weiss on Lady Gaga's Vision for "Meaningful" Performance of "Hold My Hand"

• Oscars' Mea Culpa to Crafts Community Is (Mostly) Well Received

• Why Halle Berry Presenting Michelle Yeoh With Her Best Actress Oscar Win Was So Significant

First held in 1992, the event is one of Hollywood’s longest-running Oscar parties, besting even the vaunted Vanity Fair party by one year. The star told reporters why he thought his party had maintained such staying power and relevance over the decades.

“We’ve grown immensely. The first party we held, we raised $350,000 and thought that we were kings of the world,” John remembered. “And it just evolved, and it had a lively vibe, and we started to have live music, which made it bigger.”

He also noted, “It’s not really about being a star-studded event. The money helps the AIDS foundation, and we see the same people here every year. And they’re very strong supporters, loyal supporters. I think Tim Allen has been here every year we’ve done this. I think people come, and they leave in the afterglow, and they think they’ve done something really good.”

The event did attract quite a starry crowd, though, as Allen, Maren Morris, Patricia Arquette, Donatella Versace, Fan Bingbing, Wiz Khalifa, Saweetie, Heidi Klum, Dove Cameron, Hilary Duff, Christina Hendricks, Brooke Shields, Kesha, Tyga, Sharon Osbourne, Sophia Bush, Maggie Rogers, Troye Sivan, Jenna Dewan, Julianne Hough, Smokey Robinson, Karen Pittman, Simona Tabasco and Michael Imperioli were among the attendees.

Underneath an elaborate white tent, the evening began with champagne, cocktails and a dinner that featured an asparagus salad, parsnip cauliflower coconut soup, a choice of either Corvina sea bass or red wine braised short ribs and a raspberry chocolate sphere for dessert. Guests could send money to the foundation by text during dinner, and Zooey Deschanel and Jonathan Scott contributed $10,000, while Haddish donated $4,500. In total, over $273,000 was raised by text donations alone.

“One year after the dinner, we got a phone call, and it was Elizabeth Taylor, and she said that she wanted to come to the party and support us,” co-host David Furnish recalled of his favorite memory from his years of participating in the event. “And unbeknownst to me, she was in a lot of back pain at the time. She stopped and spoke with every single crew all the way down the carpet. She spoke so compassionately and authentically about the cause to everybody. We got to the end, and she turned to me and said, ‘Get me my wheelchair. I’m in so much pain’. And I had no idea. To see that warrior spirit in her, and she knew that she had a job to do. She spoke to everyone, and I think that was amazing.”

As both a watch party and afterparty, the Academy Awards played on several large screens throughout the main dining room. Best picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once was clearly the crowd favorite, receiving big cheers after every win, with a thunderous ovation for Michelle Yeoh after she won best actress.

Even though the party was meant to celebrate Hollywood’s biggest night, current politics were never far from anyone’s mind as guests spoke out about the anti-LGBTQ legislation currently passing in many states.

Abbott Elementary star Lisa Ann Walter spoke to reporters about the role she felt that Hollywood had to play when it came to speaking out about LGBTQ rights.

“I think that Hollywood is kind of on the forefront of being very vocal about LGBTQ needs and what they’re facing, now more than it was even a year ago… And now it seems to be rolling back in another direction in this country, which is thoroughly frightening and incredibly unacceptable and verging on fascism,” she said. “People may not be as political as I am, but what Hollywood can do is put their money behind people who will not legislatively take away the constitutional rights of a huge portion of our population.”

Following the conclusion of the awards ceremony, a live auction was held with several unique items to bid on, including a replica of John’s sequined Gucci robe that he wore at his last Dodger Stadium performance, which went for $100,000, and a Golden Eye pinball machine signed by Pierce Brosnan that fetched $130,000 after a round of spirited bidding. The night raised over $9 million in total for the AIDS foundation.

This year’s live musical performer was British pop star Rina Sawayama, who played an extended set of over a dozen songs, including one duet with John on their collaboration “Chosen Family.”

Finally, as the last plate was cleared and the final donation was made, the evening turned into a massive dance party, and guests hit the dance floor, enjoyed another round of dessert or stood in line for one of the two In-N-Out trucks that were parked outside to satisfy any late-night cravings.

Click here to read the full article.