Project Angel Food’s annual Angel Awards returned on Saturday, Sept. 27, to honor Academy Award–nominated actress Jennifer Tilly with the Angel Award. Additionally, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Health System’s CEO, Peter L. Slavin, MD, accepted the Leadership in Love Angel Award on behalf of Cedars-Sinai. The event, held at Paramount Pictures Studios in Hollywood, featured a performance by multi-platinum, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Guest of Honor Belinda Carlisle. Funds raised from the Angel Awards support the organization’s operating costs, as Project Angel Food prepares and delivers more than 1.5 million medically tailored meals each year to thousands of people living with life-threatening illnesses at zero cost. The event raised a total of $950,000, making it the most successful Angel Awards Gala since 2019.

Actress and comedian Caroline Rhea kicked off the event with a spicy comedy set and introduced Belinda Carlisle. Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Guest of Honor Belinda Carlisle brought the audience to their feet with an unforgettable performance including hits “Mad About You,” “Heaven Is a Place on Earth,” and the Go-Go’s classic “We’ve Got the Beat.”

Loni Love then introduced Project Angel Food CEO Richard Ayoub. Ayoub welcomed guests to the event with a powerful message of resilience, saying, “What we learned this year is that fires can destroy buildings, but they can’t destroy the human spirit. The federal government can cut our funding, but we won’t cut our services. Food is not an option. Compassion is not an option. Giving up is not an option. Project Angel Food brings out the best in Los Angeles and is where hope lives!”

During the program, Steven Weber and Amy Yasbeck joked about their on-again-off-again TV romance on “Wings” which shot at Paramount Studios on soundstage 19 from 1990-1997, and talked about the 5,800 Project Angel Food volunteers who delivered 48,000 volunteer hours last year. It was also a Paramount homecoming for Caroline Rhea who was Aunt Hilda on Sabrina The Teenage Witch, which shot on the soundstages 11 and 12 from 1997-2003.

Actress, TV star, philanthropist, business owner, and designer Kathy Hilton presented the 2025 Angel Award to Jennifer Tilly, a distinction previously bestowed on Matt Bomer, Mary Fisher, Jamie Lee Curtis, Elizabeth Taylor, George Michael, Sharon Stone and Whoopi Goldberg, among others. In accepting the award, Tilly praised The Project Angel Food staff and volunteers, saying they “give hope and they give joy, and they give healing connection…I think emotional sustenance is just as important as sustenance that you eat.” She added, “Project Angel Food was starting with love, and it runs on love. So, I am so happy and proud to receive this award.”

Marc Malkin presented the Leadership in Love Angel Award to Cedars-Sinai. The award was accepted by CEO of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Health System, Peter L. Slavin, MD who said, “It’s a great honor for me, on behalf of the incredible team at Cedars-Sinai – some of whom are here today – to accept this Leadership in Love Angel Award on behalf of the institution.” He added, “We’re more than willing to accept this award, but [want] to thank our colleagues at Project Angel Food for everything they do – the heroic work they do – to meet the needs of thousands of people in this community every day, to make sure that they get the nutrition they need to be healthy and live wonderful lives.”

Celebrity auctioneer Harry Santa-Olalla engaged the sold-out crowd in a competitive live auction featuring an exclusive trip to the New York premiere of “Wicked: For Good;” an Angel Awards Favorite, The Steak 48 Beverly Hills Chef’s Experience; A private lunch for two with Lisa Rinna at The Beverly Hills Hotel; Dinner with Sheryl Lee Ralph at Spago; and a trip on a private jet to The Four Seasons Resort and Residences in Los Cabos. The lunch with Lisa Rinna went for an incredible $16,000 and was matched by a competing bid, resulting in two private lunches that brought in $32,000 total. A surprise auction item from Kathy Hilton offering the opportunity for twelve guests to join her for lunch at her house was the top item of the evening, with an outstanding $40,000 winning bid. To conclude the live auction, all attending guests had the opportunity to donate $500 to enter a sweepstakes in hopes of winning an exclusive 2026 VIP Dodger experience; the winner was drawn and announced by Charo.

Additional attendees included Cheryl Tiegs, Kirsten Vangsness, L.A. County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath, Michael Corbett, Mike Stoller, Shannon K, Stuart O'Keeffe and more.

Project Angel Food’s Angel Awards were made possible with generous support from Title Sponsor Wells Fargo, and Presenting Sponsors Cedars-Sinai and Paramount Pictures. Principal Sponsors included Amazon/Glamazon, Blue Shield of California Promise Health Plan, L.A. Care Health Plan, and Mary Fisher. All proceeds support Project Angel Food’s vital mission to nourish the health and spirit of individuals facing critical and life-threatening illnesses by preparing and delivering medically tailored meals with love, care, and dignity.