Canadian pop artist Alexander Stewart performed at the gala, introducing his song by speaking about about his teenage struggles with suicidal ideation. He dedicated it to his mother, who was in the audience. Wearing a tweed Dolce & Gabbana suit with a silver sweater top, he told Vanity Fair that knowing Meghan and Harry would be in the audience made the night slightly stressful, but he was looking forward to it nevertheless.
“I found out they were actually going to be here tonight. I was like, Oh my God. It added a layer of pressure I didn’t need,” he said. “I’m kidding…I’m not kidding, actually. That’s the truth. But regardless, I’m very excited. We’re all here for the same reason. It’s about none of us—it’s about a greater [cause].”
The night’s programming also featured speeches from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who introduced Indianapolis Colts owner Kalen Jackson. Jackson gave a speech about her own experience with anxiety and her decision to start a mental health referral service out of the Colts front office.
Sequins were the preeminent trend, one that fitness influencer Kendall Toole embraced. Toole, a former Peloton instructor and current Lululemon ambassador, said she got her brown dress decorated with paillettes at Meshki just a few nights ago.
Designer and artist Keith Lissner made an installation for the night, featuring large floral arrangements and computer-generated graphics referencing Prince, Charles Darwin, Vincent van Gogh, and other artists and thinkers of the modern era. The playlist for cocktail hour included songs from Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, along with Chappell Roan, Kacey Musgraves, and upbeat hits from the 1980s.
Daly served as the night’s host, speaking movingly about suffering panic attacks while he was host of MTV’s Total Request Live in the early 2000s. “I used to think I might die during this Britney Spears video,” he joked darkly. “I didn’t.” He said that he considers himself a part of the “anxiety society” and is happy that openly speaking about his experiences has helped him connect with fellow members.
The night’s emotional core was a video featuring footage from the Archewell Foundation’s Lost Screen Memorial, an art installation featuring images of nearly 50 children who lost their lives to online harms. Meghan and Harry premiered the installation this past April at an emotional event, and footage from that night played as they walked onstage to the song “Unstoppable” by Sia. The duke and duchess both wiped their eyes as they arrived at the podium.
At the end of her speech, Meghan deviated from her prepared remarks to talk about how much she was affected by the Lost Screen Memorial display and urged others to go see the exhibition themselves. “To all the parents who’ve been part of the Parents Network, we are accepting this award this evening for you, in honor of you, in honor of all the parents in this community,” she added. “We will build the movement that all families and all children deserve.”
