The Hollywood Reporter‘s Women in Entertainment event, presented by Lifetime, returned on Wednesday for its yearly celebration of the ladies leading Hollywood on screen, on set and from the exec suites.

This year, the star-studded event — which coincided with the publication of THR’s annual Women in Entertainment Power 100 — honored Gwyneth Paltrow with the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award, given to a woman who is a pioneer in her field.

Jennifer Lopez was also recognized with the Equity in Entertainment Award, honoring her work amplifying the voices of underrepresented communities in the entertainment industry

Inside the breakfast — once again taking place at the Beverly Hills Hotel — Rachel Sennott kicked off the program, joking, “You know you’ve made it as a woman in Hollywood when one of three things happen:

when people call every photoshoot you do ‘a humiliation ritual,’ when someone uses A.I. to make a video of you frenching the sloth with Zootopia or when you get asked to speak at a brunch.”

I cannot emphasize enough how important this is. We must not be afraid to speak up and speak out, to protect this country and all the people in it,”

McNeary continued, quipping with a nod to Lopez sitting in front of her, “Even if what we’re wearing is dumb and J.Lo. looks better than any of us ever will.” She added,

“My husband and my workplace, my livelihood and my friends, have been threatened multiple times by the president of the United States and the propaganda machine that feasts on deliberately misinterpreting our words and making comedy the enemy.

And I’m one of the lucky ones. We got knocked down, and with all of you, you helped us get back up. And I can’t thank you all enough.”