Talents and executives from across all forms of media, entertainment and business gathered in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday for the fifth annual Gold House Gala.
The annual gala, held at the Music Center in DTLA, is a celebration of Asia Pacific changemakers across industries. Legendary martial arts actor Jet Li, actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, meat Star Charles Melton, actor Simu Liu, Olympic gold medalist Elaine Guo and Flex CEO Revathi Advaithi were honored on stage at Saturday’s event.
The evening, which was previously dubbed the “Asian Met Gala,” was not without a shortage of stars. The Gold House co-founder and CEO repeated his opening speech in which he called out some of the night’s biggest stars as part of reminding them to sit down for the show to begin. This routine sparked laughter from the audience gathered in the venue’s outdoor courtyard and was effective in getting all the chatty guests to find their seats.
The Gold Gala 2026 program began on stage with words from Saturday Night Live alum Bowen Young, whose introduction was part celebration, part barbecue. The comedian joked with the audience that he was happy to be part of the “group quiz.” meat “Season 3” – The show’s creator, Lee Seung-jin, was in attendance, and later told the audience how the seating arrangement at the Gold House event helped Lee secure Milton as the star of season 2. He also took a playful dig at Chen, likening the founder’s dating life to the nearby Chinatown neighborhood where they both “survived turmoil, disease, and gentrification.”
Yang celebrated the API community’s victories – “The Wasians make music videos together, which is very nice” – and the failures – “Eric Nam didn’t win Traitors, [and] “I’m on track to lose my sixth Emmy.” The comedian pondered whether society has moved beyond acting and turned to ownership.
“Ownership of our stories, ownership of our space, ownership of the fact that white women are so bored that they need Mahjong more than us,” Yang continued, drawing laughter from the audience. “I’m obsessed with it, by the way, because you know they say things like ‘MSG gives me headaches.'”
Demon hunters in kpop The EJAE star presented a video of this year’s entertainment and media honorees from Gold House’s powerful Gold 100 list. Hot competition Hudson Williams, Grammy Award-winning singers Kehlani, Lovie and Lola Young, actress Lola Tong, director Chloe Zhao and girl group KATSEYE were among some of the entertainment figures honored in the video.
Liu was awarded a Gold Mogul by filmmakers Destin Daniel Cretton and James Wan. Gu, the most decorated freestyle skier, accepted the Gold Impact Medal, which was presented to her by WNBA star Candace Parker and Marriott International executive vice president and chief customer officer Peggy Roe. Chopra Jonas received the inaugural Global Vanguard Honor Award, while Advaithi, CEO of Flex, received the inaugural Forbes Gold Award.
Milton, who plays Austin in Season 2 of meatwas awarded the inaugural Gold Artistic Achievement Award by meat Creator Lee Sung Jin and actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph. The actor joked that he and Randolph became close during the 2025 awards season, in which Randolph swept all but one award, which was won by Melton himself. He also thanked Li for his cooperation and friendship.
Lee, a legendary martial artist and actor, received the Golden Legend Honor Award. Maggie Q and Terry Crews were the first to take the stage, introducing Lee’s daughter, Jane Lee, and Bruce Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee.
When he took the stage, Lee preached about the importance of living a happy and healthy life. He urged attendees to take care not only of their physical health but also of their mental health. He explained to me that he would continue to help people throughout his life.
Chen returned to the stage to close out the night, giving an impassioned speech about community and unity. Then, he led the crowd into the nearby after-party with a needle and a live streamer to KATSEYE’s “Pinky Up.” Yang seemed the most excited in the audience about the music choice, performing the girl group’s choreography in his seat as they played.
Get a sneak peek at the 2026 Gold Gala and the live stream below.
