The Gold Gala 2026, an annual event that celebrates Asian Pacific changemakers across various industries, was a star-studded affair in downtown Los Angeles. The glitzy celebration, previously dubbed the 'Asian Met Gala', brought together talent and executives from media, entertainment, and business. The event, held at the Music Center in DTLA, was a testament to the diverse and dynamic nature of the API community.
One of the highlights of the evening was the tongue-in-cheek kick-off speech by Gold House co-founder and CEO, who reminded the night's biggest stars to get to their seats so the program could begin. The routine elicited laughter and effectively got the chatty guests to find their seats. The evening's program kicked off with remarks from Saturday Night Live alum Bowen Young, whose introduction was part celebration and part roast. Young joked about being part of a 'group audition for Beef season three', and took a playful dig at Gold House founder Chen, likening his dating life to the nearby Chinatown neighborhood.
The comedian celebrated the API community's wins and failures, and pondered if the community had moved past representation and into ownership. He said, 'Ownership of our stories, ownership of our space and ownership of the fact that white women are so bored they need Mahjong more than we do.' The crowd laughed, and Yang seemed to be in his element, obsessing over the white women in the audience.
The entertainment and media honorees from Gold House's Gold 100 power list were introduced by KPop Demon Hunters star EJAE. The video featured Heated Rivalry breakout Hudson Williams, Grammy award-winning singers Kehlani, Laufey and Lola Young, actress Lola Tung, director Chloe Zhao and girl group KATSEYE. The entertainment figures honored in the video were a testament to the diverse and dynamic nature of the API community.
The Gold Mogul honor was presented to Simu Liu by filmmakers Destin Daniel Cretton and James Wan. The Gold Impact honor was presented to Olympic gold medalist Eileen Gu by WNBA star Candace Parker and EVP and chief customer officer of Marriott International Peggy Roe. The inaugural Global Vanguard Honor was awarded to Priyanka Chopra Jonas, while Advaithi, CEO of Flex, received the inaugural Forbes Gold honor.
The inaugural Gold Artistic Achievement honor was presented to Charles Melton by Beef creator Lee Sung Jin and actress Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Melton joked about becoming close with Randolph during the 2025 awards season, and thanked Lee for his collaboration and friendship. The Gold Legend honor award was presented to Jet Li, a legendary martial artist and actor, by Maggie Q and Terry Crews. Li preached about the importance of living a happy and healthy life, urging the crowd to take care of their physical and mental health.
The evening concluded with Chen delivering an impassioned speech about community and loneliness. He then ushered the crowd into the nearby afterparty with a needle drop and streamer blast to KATSEYE's 'Pinky Up'. Yang seemed the most excited in the crowd by the music choice, performing the girl group's choreography in his seat as it played.
The Gold Gala 2026 was a celebration of the API community's achievements and a testament to the diverse and dynamic nature of the API community. It was a night of laughter, celebration, and reflection, and a reminder of the importance of community and ownership in the API world. Personally, I think the event was a huge success, and a testament to the power of the API community. What makes this particularly fascinating is the way the event brought together people from different walks of life, and celebrated their achievements. In my opinion, the Gold Gala is a shining example of how the API community is making its mark on the world, and a reminder that representation and ownership are not just important, but essential.
