The 2025 Gold Gala Celebrated AAPI Icons Past and Present

Pikachu, Zhang Ziyi, and Laufey were among the honorees.

Every May, in honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, Gold House hosts their Gold Gala. Founded by Bing Chen, the event is now in its fourth year and celebrates their A100 list, a definitive guide to leaders across politics. fashion, technology, entertainment, and more. 2025 was no different, with the theme being First Lights, honoring those who provide glimmers of hope in times of uncertainty and darkness. That translated to a field of talent that included the likes of Olympic gold medalists to TikTok creators to first responders. Dressed in their black tie finest, the crowd of 600-plus sat down to honor icons past and present. With a meal created by James Beard Award-winning chef Lord Maynard Llera and his team at Kuya Lord in Los Angeles, the Filipino menu was complemented with bespoke Hennessy cocktails as well as late night American Chinese bites from Panda Express.

Among the honorees of the evening included Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee. who was presented the Gold Legend Honor by the likes of filmmakers James Sweeney, Nisha Ganatra and Andrew Ahn, and Academy Award-winning producer Samantha Quan for his impact on cinema. Speaking of Lee, with 2025 being the 25th anniversary of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger, star Zhang Ziyi was on hand to accept the Gold Generation Award on behalf of the cast. To round out the film awards, Jon Chu received the A1 in Entertainment and Media for his work on Wicked along with the sequel Wicked: For Good while the cast of Moana 2 was awarded the Gold Ensemble Honor for their representation of Pacifika stories.

Musicians also had their golden moments, like Megan Thee Stallion, who was given the One House Honor for her support of Asian Pacific culture and creatives via music collaborations, projects, and fashion looks. Laufey played an acoustic version of Silver Linings after receiving the Billboard Gold Music of Honor and Anderson .Paak was awarded the Gold Mogul Honor, for his work across music, film, and philanthropy. .Paak also played double duty, DJ’ing the afterparty and kicking off the celebrity karaoke room alongside White Lotus’ Tayme Thapthimthong. And yes, Thapthimthong treated everyone to his version of Blackstreet’s No Diggity.

Also among the splashy names honored on Saturday evening was Tsunekazu Ishihara, the CEO of the Pokémon Company, who accepted the Gold Legend Honor with Pikachu beside him. Min Jin Lee, New York Times best-selling author of Pachinko was celebrated for her impact on the literary world while Sabyasachi Mukherjee received the A1 Fashion, Lifestyle, and Fine Arts for his devotion to Indian craftsmanship. Being that it was an Olympic year. Paris 2024 gold medalists Suni Lee, Lee Kiefer, Chuck Aoki, and Torri Huske took home the A1 in Sports and Gaming. And finally, the LA Wildfire heroes were acknowledged for their efforts following the devastating wildfires.

See some of our favorites from the gold carpet below.