Odd Moments From The Hollywood Reporter’s Star-Studded ‘Most Powerful in New York Media’ Party

Guests of the Hollywood Reporter’s annual media bash celebrating its New York’s “Most Powerful” list filed into the Pool Room of the landmarked Seagram tower on Thursday night for an open bar and backslap-fueled mingling.

The star-studded event was brimming with peripheral characters in the current tragicomedy being played out of the White House: Omarosa posed for a TMZ photographer near the entrance on 52nd Street, and Anthony Scaramucci mingled with Michael Avenatti, who drank a martini. Marla Maples, Trump’s second wife now rumored to be dating MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch, posed before cameras on the red carpet.

Fox News had a strong showing at the event: Three executives and four on-air hosts made the magazine’s Most Powerful list, and a number of its stars came out to celebrate. Harris Faulkner rang in her 15 year anniversary to husband Tony Berlin (he could not join, thanks to a babysitter who cancelled). Brian Kilmeade and Ainsley Earhardt represented two thirds of Fox & Friends, but Steve Doocy was unable to attend the bash.

Sean Hannity was surrounded by a sizable army of well-wishers. He promised that he had no idea President Trump would send out a promo tweet for his Wednesday night show, and chuckled at the media response his “Mueller Crime Family” segment elicited. He posed for a selfie with Avenatti.

Just steps from Hannity, Don Lemon and boyfriend Tim Malone, a Corcoran agent, were surrounded by their own little army. Restauranteur Drew Nieporent stopped by to remind Lemon to “keep fighting the good fight.”

“I own a restaurant called Nobu,” he told Lemon, “you should come by.”

Michael Wolff shuffled around awkwardly, and reportedly told Brian Stelter there’s no way James Comey’s book outsells his. We’ll see. MSNBC’s Ari Melber back-slapped Avenatti, a frequent guest on his show, and quoted 50 Cent.

Ronan Farrow, fresh off his latest bombshell New Yorker report, caught up with Mediaite founder Dan Abrams — Ann Coulter joined the pair at one point. A sharply dressed Colby Hall lurked nearby at the bar clutching a double whiskey rocks. Fans of The Wire mobbed Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Megyn Kelly attended with her husband, author Douglas Brunt. Her appearance at the event last year came amidst much fanfare: she had just left Fox News, and was gearing up for her new NBC show. At this year’s event, she was joined by fellow NBC star Lester Holt, as well as Hoda Kotb and Savannah Guthrie — who were both celebrated in the cover story of this month’s issue of the Hollywood Reporter. NBC executives Andy Lack and Noah Oppenheim loomed.

A gaggle of bespectacled media reporters also made an appearance, and good use of the open bar: The Times’ Michael Grynbaum, The Daily Beast’s Max Tani, CNN’s Oliver Darcy, Vanity Fair’s Joe Pompeo, Media Post’s Alex Weprin, and Hollywood Reporter’s Jeremy Barr and Ray Rahman.

Honorable mentions: Martha Stewart and a massive unit of a human that goes by Joe Manganiello.

[photo via Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]

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Follow Aidan McLaughlin (@aidnmclaughlin) on Twitter

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