For the crowd gathered inside Current at Chelsea Piers on Thursday night, time was on their side.
Time Magazine was honoring the 2025 edition of its Time 100 Next List, which highlights emerging and influential voices across entertainment, science, tech, business and government. The room was packed with honorees including young Polymarket founder Shayne Coplan, musician Tate McRae, actress Teyana Taylor, “KPop Demon Hunters” director Maggie Kang, New Zealand politician Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke and Sudanese activist Emtithal Mahmoud, who performed a poem mid-dinner.
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“ I just feel really proud and happy to be on this list,” said “Sinners” star Miles Caton early in the evening. The film was released in April, and has remained one of the year’s buzziest films heading into awards season. “People resonated with it in so many different ways,” said Caton, nodding to the conversation around the movie. “I think we did what was meant to be done.”
“I mean, to be in a room filled with so many influential people is a little nerve-racking,” said Becky G, making her way down the carpet and towards cocktail hour. “Although I’ve been doing this for a really, really long time, it’s very inspiring, and it’s just a reminder that I’m on the right path.”
The musician is looking ahead to the just-announced release of her documentary “Rebecca” in December, which traces the creation of her “Música Mexicana” album and first headlining tour.
“It’s insane to think that this body of work is not only the most personal piece I’ve ever been a part of, but there’s a lot that I hadn’t shared, with the internet and having my career start there,” she said. “There’s a lot I’m ready to release, and hope that it’s used as a vessel to inspire other people.”
Becky G
Inspiration was the theme of the night. But before the dinner speeches and toasts, guests mingled alongside sponsored installations including a Smirnoff-branded bar and demonstration of the Meta Ray-Ban Display AI glasses, which can record video and transcribe and translate conversations in real-time.
McRae, one of three Time 100 Next cover stars, kicked off the night with a two-song acoustic performance before select honorees offered toasts to the room.
“ I heard a sermon one time that said, you don’t have to chase opportunity, you just have to stay planted,” said Lainey Wilson, taking a mic in the center of the dinner floor. “ And what I’ve learned is you cannot rush the growing season. You have to just keep showing up. You have to keep nurturing your gift, keep believing that what is meant for you is gonna find you when it’s the right time.”
Tramell Tillman opened his speech with a story about his grandparents, leaders of their local NAACP chapter who worked to support voting rights for people of color.
“ In 2025, the grandson of James and Pearl Hill won an Emmy for outstanding supporting actor for a drama series,” said the “Severance” actor. “I am my ancestors’ wildest dreams. So this toast is for the ancestors, those brave souls who wouldn’t settle for what was handed to them. Whose contributions not only make for a great story to tell their parties, but encouraged us all to make the world a better place.”
The Time 100 lists make for unlikely dinner crowds. As climate change advocate and marine biologist Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, whose early love of the Florida’s coral reefs led her to become a scientist, encouraged the crowd to take action, Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds, another honoree (and climate change skeptic), listened from a front row table.
Jonathan Bailey, another Time 100 Next cover star, closed out the evening with a tribute to in-person connection.
“ Here’s the house parties. Here’s to watching films in cinemas, to watching with friends. Here’s to listening parties, to inviting people around to chat,” said the “Wicked” star, glass of wine raised. “To experiencing life together. Because at this moment in time, sharing ideas, stories, and different perspectives in a room with other humans is a radical act. So here’s to this moment that we’re sharing now, and here’s to making time count.”
Launch Gallery: Tate McRae, Jonathan Bailey, Teyana Taylor and More Attend the Time100 Next Party
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