Comment on Before the Tony Nominations, a Bit of Backstage Drama

The world’s most influential leaders gathered to toast the annual TIME100 list in New York City on Thursday. While the night was a celebration, the day was also a sobering moment of reflection for many in the wake of the announcement that same morning that disgraced film producer Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 New York rape conviction was overturned; Weinstein’s case was a landmark lawsuit that helped to accelerate the #MeToo movement. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] For some attendees, like media personality Don Lemon, the news was heavy, but ultimately an opportunity for the country’s justice system to live up to its values. “I’m not a fan [of Weinstein], but I will tell you, it’s our justice system and if they found credible evidence that something happened with the judge or the trial during the trial, then just like any other citizen, he should be treated equally under the law,” Lemon told TIME, later drawing a parallel between Weinstein’s right to a fair trial and Donald Trump’s current hush money trial. For others, like activist and astronaut Amanda Nguyen, who helped to craft the Sexual Assault Survivors’ Rights Act after surviving her own assault, the overturned conviction was a disheartening reminder that there’s still so much more work to do when it comes to stopping sexual violence. “We all know as survivors that the courts fail us,” Nguyen told TIME.

On Thursday, TIME rolled out the red carpet at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center for a ceremony recognizing the 2024 TIME100 honorees. This year’s TIME100 Gala, which brought together some of the most influential people in the world to celebrate the annual TIME100 list, began with a number of the night’s biggest stars serving stunning looks, chatting with press, and mingling amongst each other.

TIME100 Honoree Jack Antonoff is making his Broadway debut later this year. It was announced on April 16 that the famed music producer would be crafting the score for the modern adaptation of Romeo + Juliet, starring Rachel Zegler and Kit Connor. Antonoff tells TIME that he spoke with Florence Welch, who did the score for The Great Gatsby at the American Repository Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] “She’s walking me through it,” he says, adding that Welch has given him “a lot of tips.” When asked about the specifics of the conversation, Antonoff said that “it’s private.” Tony-winning director Sam Gold, who will direct the Zegler and Connor-led Romeo + Juliet, is working with Antonoff on the sound for the new show.

Actor and activist Michael J. Fox accepted the second annual TIME100 Impact Award—which recognizes a global trailblazer who is pushing boundaries in their industry—at the 2024 TIME100 Gala at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center on Thursday. Following a Beyoncé-themed toast by actor Maya Rudolph, Willie Geist, co-anchor of MSNBC’s Morning Joe, introduced Fox at the star-studded ceremony.

On Thursday night, guests gathered in New York City to celebrate the 2024 TIME100, a list that ran the gamut from Hollywood’s brightest stars to global leaders and changemakers. One of the night’s most significant honorees, E. Jean Carroll, was surprised that she was included on this year’s list—but she shouldn’t have been.