Aniston honored for charity work
Ellen toasts Jen at Power of Women gala.
Best friends show up and power through – even when the teleprompter crashes.
On Friday, Ellen DeGeneres surprised the crowd at the annual Variety Power of Women luncheon, appearing to introduce honoree Jennifer Aniston. A ripple moved through the crowd when DeGeneres walked onstage, just days after her George W. Bush comments created a fracas online.
But DeGeneres steered away from those headlines, instead toasting Aniston’s charity efforts for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and cracking jokes about the failed teleprompter.
“I’m fine (but) Jen is freaking out back there,” DeGeneres joked. “Play
some music,” she instructed the DJ, waiting for her speech to reprogram and appear on the podium’s clear glass teleprompter. (It never did.) Then, to fill time, DeGeneres danced onstage.
“What an honor this is for Jen Aniston to receive this from me,” DeGeneres finally began, reading off her printed notes. “I am one of her best friends, nearest, dearest, most favorite friend – whatever Reese Witherspoon tries to tell you.”
More seriously, DeGeneres toasted the kindness of Aniston. “In a world where people are angry and mean, she is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Seriously, too nice sometimes.”
Later, Aniston returned the joke. “Ellen, we have to keep the best friend stuff on the DL. Because a lot of my best friends are here.”
The “Morning Show” star reflected on learning to harness her power in the entertainment industry. “I’ve never actually thought of myself as powerful. Strong? Yes. But powerful? Not (really).”
Aniston recalled being excused from the dinner table around age 11 “because I didn’t have anything interesting to add to the conversation. Ouch. It stuck with me.”
The actress said it wasn’t until “Friends” that she “started seeing myself in a different light.”
Events of the past two years, Aniston added, referencing the #MeToo movement, have “made me think a lot about the messages we send young kids, little girls especially. How the things that we say and do can either build them up or tear them down and make them feel like their voices don’t matter.”
Also honored at the Audi-sponsored event were Mariah Carey (for her work with Fresh Air Fund’s Camp Mariah), Brie Larson (for the Equal Justice Initiative), Awkwafina (Building Bears), Chaka Khan (Little Kids Rock) and ABC/Fox executive Dana Walden (UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center).