Chrissy Teigen, Gayle King, and Hollywood Celebrities Uplift Living Wage Campaigns at One Fair Wage’s “Server for an Hour” in NYC

Stars swapped the spotlight for aprons to stand in solidarity with millions of service workers as candidates nationwide launched the Make America Affordable Now PAC.

New York, NY — In case you missed it, Hollywood stars and elected officials joined One Fair Wage in Lower Manhattan last Thursday for the organization’s annual Server for an Hour event — an evening where celebrities traded the red carpet for aprons to spotlight the nationwide fight for a Living Wage for All alongside the launch of the new Make America Affordable Now PAC.

The event, hosted by Chrissy Teigen, featured Gayle King, Sophia Bush, Orlando Bloom, Dorinda Medley, Heidi Gardner, Ciara Miller, Jessel Taank, Alex Newell, and more, who donned aprons and served tables alongside restaurant workers to raise awareness about the affordability crisis and the need to end subminimum wages. Photos from the evening captured the stars laughing, serving guests, and amplifying workers’ voices about the economic hardships they face.

Confirmed attendees also included NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, NYC Council Labor Chair Carmen De La Rosa, Speakers of several state legislatures, and dozens of elected officials, candidates, and labor leaders from across the country. Together, they underscored the growing national movement to ensure every worker earns enough to live with dignity — with campaigns already advancing in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and beyond.

The event highlighted the launch of the Make America Affordable Now PAC, a new electoral arm of the Living Wage for All movement that will support candidates running on affordability and living wage platforms — transforming wage justice into a winning political issue ahead of 2026.

“This year’s event feels especially meaningful,” said Chrissy Teigen. “So many families are struggling right now, so it’s more important than ever to shine a light on what so many of us have known for years: No one should have to work multiple jobs and still worry about putting food on the table. Everyone deserves the chance to live with dignity — and that starts with being paid a living wage.”

Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage and Director of the UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center, added: “Affordability is the top issue on every poll and determining all elections at the moment — and also determining the fate of our democracy. Restaurant workers who earn subminimum wages repeatedly tell us that they work multiple jobs to make ends meet and question what democracy can deliver for them. It’s imperative that we demonstrate that democracy can deliver on their top priority — their ability to feed their children and pay the rent. We are so grateful to Chrissy for helping us elevate this crisis and the need to deliver a Living Wage for All in order to save democracy.”

The night’s energy mirrored a national surge in momentum around living wage policies, as affordability continues to dominate city, state, and national politics. From Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani’s grassroots win in New York to Los Angeles hospitality workers’ living wage victory ahead of the 2028 Olympics, Thursday’s event captured a growing consensus: a true living wage is both possible and popular.