White House State Dinner Guest List Includes Bela Bajaria, Donna Langley, M. Night Shyamalan, Casey Wasserman And James Murdoch

UPDATE: A lot of the media focus on the State Dinner was on the presence of Hunter Biden, but a standout moment was the performance of Joshua Bell.

PREVIOUSLY: The guest list for the White House State Dinner for Indian Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi includes a number of entertainment and media figures, including Netflix’s Bela Bajaria, Universal’s Donna Langley, director M. Night Shyamalan, Wasserman Media Group’s Casey Wasserman and James Murdoch.

Also on the list: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

In the news business, guests include columnists Tom Friedman and David Ignatius, The Wall Street Journal’s Tarini Parti, writer Anand Giridharadasas, as well as CBS News’ Neeraj Khemlani. Former Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, who is now U.S. ambassador to India, also is attending.

Other notables include Billie Jean King, Anne Wojcicki, Ralph Lauren and Maria Teresa Kumar.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who hosted Modi at a joint session of Congress earlier on Thursday, also will attend. Hunter Biden, who faces tax and gun charges as part of a plea deal announced this week, also is on the list.

Other CEOs attending include Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano, GE CEO Larry Culp, Discover CEO Roger Hochschild, Cisco Systems CEO Chuck Robbins and Deloitte CEO Punit Renjen.

Joshua Bell will perform at the dinner, which is being held on a pavilion on the South Lawn. The dinner will feature a main course of stuffed portobello mushrooms and creamy saffron-infused risotto, with sumac roasted sea bass upon request.

In his speech before the joint session of Congress, Modi spoke extensively of the shared interests and cooperation of the United States and India, while promoting his country’s growth in technology and other industries.

“There are millions here who have roots in India. Some of them proudly sit in this chamber,” Modi said. “There is one behind me, who has made history.” He was referring to Vice President Kamala Harris, and the chamber gave the moment a standing ovation.

Modi also drew a standing ovation when he said, “We are home to all faiths in the world and we celebrate all of them.” Some members of Congress boycotted the speech in protest of his administration’s human rights record. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez cited “systematic human rights abuses of religious minorities and caste-oppressed communities.”

Best of Deadline

• 2023 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

• 2023-24 Awards Season Calendar - Dates For Oscars, Emmys, Major Film Festivals, Guilds & More

• TV Shows Affected By WGA Strike: 1923', 'Metropolis', 'Little Sky', 'The Penguin', 'Daredevil: Born Again' & More - Updated List

Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Click here to read the full article.