Beyoncé & Jay‑Z Join $20M REFORM Alliance Gala with The Weeknd Performance
Beyoncé has resurfaced after her post-tour vacation, hitting the town with Jay-Z for a good cause to the tune of $20 million.
On Saturday, September 13, REFORM Alliance hosted its second Casino Night Gala at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City. The star-studded evening featured an exclusive performance by Grammy-winning artist The Weeknd and raised over $20 million for criminal justice reform.
Hosted by REFORM Alliance co-chairs and founding partners Michael Rubin, Meek Mill and Jay-Z, the invite-only, black-tie event supported the work of REFORM, which “works to transform the nation’s supervision system for the 3.7 million people on probation or parole into one that creates pathways to work and wellbeing, rather than a revolving door back to prison,” per a press release.
Some of Hollywood’s biggest stars made their way to Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City to hear about the impact REFORM has had on communities since its founding in 2019. As part of the festivities, guests participated in a blackjack tournament at The Gallery Bar Book & Games, dinner program, live auction, and enjoyed a special performance in Ovation Hall from Grammy-award winning artist The Weeknd.
Attendees included a laundry list of big names, including Beyoncé, Kevin Hart, Travis Scott, Ice Spice, Quavo, DJ Khaled, Latto, Karl Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods, Jaime Foxx, Micah Parsons, Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker, Winnie Harlow, Suni Lee, Ashley Graham, Odell Beckham Jr., Taylor Rooks, and more.
Following dinner, guests were able to bid on a variety of unique items including a round of golf with Tom Brady at Michael Jordan’s private Grove XXIII golf club, which raised $1.8 million across two $900,000 winning bids; an exclusive concert from Megan Thee Stallion, which went for $600,000; a 1 of 1 linen George Condo painting, which ended up as the auction’s highest ticket item when Michael Rubin purchased it for his personal collection for $3.4 million; a 1 of 1 painting by Rashid Johnson, titled “Soul Painting for Freedom,” fetching $1.8 million; a KAWS x Audemars Piguet limited edition watch; and finally, an Audemars Piguet timepiece made exclusively for JAY-Z, donated from Mr. Carter’s personal collection.
Following the live auction, guests were treated to a special performance by Grammy-award winning global superstar The Weeknd, who performed a 40-minute set featuring a variety of hits, including “Timeless,” “Starboy,” “Blinding Lights,” “The Hills,” and more.
After The Weeknd’s performance, guests headed to Fanatics Sportsbook located within The Gallery Bar Book & Games for an A-List blackjack tournament. Tournament semi-finalists included JAY-Z, Taylor Rooks, French Montana, Tyrese Haliburton, with guest Andrew Ramus, who ultimately emerged victorious and took home the $1 million prize. During the tournament, attendees were treated to surprise performances by Travis Scott, Ice Spice, Quavo, DJ Khaled, and Chase B.
While the event and its proceeds went to a great cause, a lot of fans can’t help but focus on the fact that Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, were in attendance at the event.
Given their proximity to Donald Trump and all of the dangerous things happening politically, fans aren’t happy to see them sitting at the same table.
Check out some reactions to their attendance (and the idea that Jay-Z invited them) down below:
