Colin Jost, John Mulaney Roast Lorne Michaels At PEN America NYC Gala; Salman Rushdie Makes First Public Appearance Since Near Fatal Attack
deadline.comColin Jost opened the PEN America Gala under the iconic model of a blue whale at the Museum of Natural History calling himself “a writer and a friend of writers” and “extremely fortunate to be here tonight surrounded by two things that might not be around much longer — writers and ocean life.
This is the first time that a whale is not the most endangered thing in the room.” “Television writers, as you may know, are on strike right now,” he added, to applause by the 700 guests at the literary org’s annual dinner honoring, among other, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, and The Satanic Verses author Salman Rushdie. “I have to say, it’s very disorienting to spend the afternoon on the picket line and then show up for a museum cocktail hour in a tuxedo.
I don’t think that happens at a lot of other labor movements,” Jost said. No WGA picketers were visible outside the entrance on 81st Street on the Upper West Side, likely thanks to Ted Sarandos bowing out of the event where he had also been set to receive an award.
The Netflix co-CEO announced last week he would not be attending “given the threat to disrupt this wonderful evening” and “distract from the important work that PEN America does for writers and journalists, as well as the celebration of my friend and personal hero Lorne Michaels.” The event unfolded in week three of a strike by the Writers Guild of America that has seen vigorous picketing on both coasts and strong support by other unions.
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