THR’s Women in Entertainment Gala Adds Dakota Johnson, Goldie Hawn, Rachel Sennott, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti, Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney to Speaker Lineup

The Hollywood Reporter on Tuesday announced a host of additional speakers for its annual Women in Entertainment breakfast gala. Dakota Johnson, Goldie Hawn, Rachel Sennott, Regina Hall, Chase Infiniti, and Jimmy Kimmel and Molly McNearney join the impressive star-studded lineup for the event, presented by Lifetime, which will take place Dec. 3 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

THR previously announced that Gwyneth Paltrow is set to receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award and Jennifer Lopez will be honored with the Equity in Entertainment Award, presented to her by Kerry Washington, who received the Equity in Entertainment Award in 2023.

Actress, comedian and I Love LA creator Rachel Sennott is set to host the annual event, which will be attended by nearly 600 industry leaders and VIPs. As part of the program, acclaimed late-night host Jimmy Kimmel will introduce the head writer and executive producer of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Molly McNearney, to deliver the breakfast’s keynote address. Academy Award-winning actress Goldie Hawn will lead a tribute to her longtime friend Diane Keaton, who died in October. Hawn and Keaton co-starred in the 1996 comedy film The First Wives Club. 

As part of this year’s annual scholarship presentation, Dakota Johnson will lead the presentation of more than $1 million in university scholarships to high school seniors from underserved communities participating in THR’s acclaimed Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. Johnson, alongside her producing partner Ro Donnelly, is the co-founder of production company TeaTime Pictures. One Battle After Another stars Regina Hall and Chase Infiniti will also take part in the scholarship presentation. For the 10th consecutive year, The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation continues to support the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program with three full-ride scholarships to this year’s program graduates: two scholarships to Chapman University and one scholarship to Loyola Marymount University, which include tuition, room and board, and holistic wrap-around support. To date, The Chuck Lorre Family Foundation has supported 15 underrepresented graduates from THR’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program with full-ride college scholarships at LMU and Chapman, with a 100 percent graduation rate. The Hollywood Reporter is grateful for the longtime support of its Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program and Scholarship Fund partners, including Chapman University, Golden Globe Foundation, Lifetime, Loyola Marymount University.

The gala coincides with the release of The Hollywood Reporter’s highly anticipated Women in Entertainment issue, which highlights the Power 100, a list of the most powerful female executives and talent in entertainment. It will be attended by the approximately 30 high school juniors and seniors currently participating in THR’s Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program. The program pairs some of the brightest young women from underserved high schools across Los Angeles with some of the most powerful female executives in film and TV. The WIE Mentorship Program, now in its 16th year, is a joint venture with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles and a fiscally sponsored fund of the Entertainment Industry Foundation. A total of 285 students have taken part in the program, with mentees having received more than $15 million in scholarships over the past 16 years. 

THR’s Women in Entertainment event is presented by Lifetime, which has been one of the mentorship program’s biggest supporters, having contributed nearly $2 million in scholarships over the past nine years. The event is also sponsored by Delta Air Lines, Medicube, Reyka Vodka, Seven Bucks Productions and WME and in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Entertainment Industry Foundation, Chapman University and Loyola Marymount University. 

The news comes amid a stellar year for THR, which recently received a record-breaking number of nominations (a total of 85) at the National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Awards. Also in 2025, THR won 34 prizes at the SoCal Journalism Awards, landed a second consecutive Daytime Emmy nomination for its roundtable series and won the American Society of Magazine Editors award for best cover. The Women in Entertainment gala is one of many events organized by The Hollywood Reporter annually, including, most recently, the Creators A-List dinner and the Power Business Managers breakfast.