Adele will receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter’s 2023 Women in Entertainment breakfast gala on Dec. 7 in Los Angeles. The invite-only event coincides with the release of the magazine’s Women in Entertainment issue (on newsstands Dec. 7), which highlights the Power 100, a list of the most powerful female executives and talent in entertainment.
“We are beyond thrilled that Adele will be our Sherry Lansing Leadership Award honoree at this year’s Women in Entertainment event,” co-editors-in-chief Nekesa Mumbi Moody and Maer Roshan said in a statement. “Adele has had a groundbreaking career that has established her as one of the all-time greats: a brilliant songwriter, a stunning vocalist, a top-notch performer and an artist whose talents have no limit. She has set a standard of excellence not only as a female performer, but a performer, period. Her accolades – from multiple Grammys to her Emmy and Oscar – attest to that. In addition, she’s used her platform to inspire and help others. She is truly deserving of this award.”
The Sherry Lansing Leadership Award recognizes trailblazers and philanthropists in entertainment and media. It was established in honor of Sherry Lansing, the first woman to head a Hollywood studio. (Lansing is the former CEO of Paramount Pictures.) Past recipients include Charlize Theron, Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Oprah Winfrey, Barbra Streisand and Viola Davis.
“Adele is a singular talent who has captivated the world with her incredible music,” said Lansing, 79, in a statement. “Beyond that, she paved the way for female artists to embrace their authentic selves and define their own voices and careers at a critical moment for women in music, empowering countless other female artists to do the same. I could not be more thrilled that Adele is receiving the award that bears my name.”
Adele, 35, has entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 with each of her last three studio albums. Those albums have logged a combined total of 40 weeks in the top spot. She has amassed five No. 1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 – “Rolling in the Deep,” “Someone Like You,” “Set Fire to the Rain,” “Hello” and “Easy on Me.” Her many awards include 16 Grammys, an Oscar and a Primetime Emmy. Adele is the only artist to sweep the Grammys’ “Big Three” categories – album, record and song of the year – twice.
Her current concert residency in Las Vegas, “Weekends with Adele,” has become a critical and commercial success. Reviewing the opening night show at the Colosseum in Caesars Palace a year ago, Billboard’s Katie Atkinson called it “utterly and breathlessly spectacular” and praised both “the massive technical flourishes and tiny thoughtful touches that color the 20-song set.”
The breakfast will also be attended by approximately 35 high school juniors and seniors who are participating in THR’s Women in Entertainment mentorship program, which pairs promising young women from underserved high schools across Los Angeles with top female executives in film and TV. The WIE Mentorship Program, now in its 14th year, is a joint venture with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles. A total of 230 students have taken part in the program, with mentees having received more than $13 million in scholarships over the past 13 years. This year’s celebration will see more than $1 million in university scholarships presented to high school seniors from the program.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Entertainment event is presented by Lifetime. The event is also sponsored by Cadillac and presented in partnership with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Los Angeles, Chapman University and Loyola Marymount University.
