Tuesday, October 27, 2026

HBO’s “Gilded Age” Premiere at the Plaza Welcomed Dozens of Guests Mrs. Astor Would Never Have Invited: Social Media Influencers

Share

★ Make Showbiz411 your Preferred Source on Google

The cast of HBO’s “The Gilded Age” was outnumbered last night on the red carpet.

And that says a lot considering the number of actors who work on that show.

Indeed, creator Julian Fellowes must have wondered who all the people were on the carpet, stopping to get their pictures taken by WireImage.

I can tell you they were the type of people Mrs. Astor — forget about Mrs. Russell or Mrs. van Rijn — would never allow in their homes.

They were influencers. And they were plentiful. And HBO spent a bundle on them taking over The Plaza Hotel. This is what the TV and movie studios want now, which wouldn’t surprise the modern thinking new Mrs. Enid van Rijn, who married rich after being a ladies’ maid.

We may have found out why the actual Gilded Age ended.

Let’s start with Mary Reile, described online as “a social media creator and pilot who gained viral attention and recently attended public events.”

How about Jessica Spoll (also known as Jess Spoll)? She is “a New York City–based creative professional who works as a documentary wedding photographer and a digital content creator specializing in film and television.”

Julia Leahy “runs the popular TikTok and Instagram accounts @morepestoplease, accumulating over 1.4 million followers and millions of likes through personal storytelling and comedy.” She also hosts The Pesto Pod, which I’m sorry I didn’t know.

Melissa Becraft “Built a multi-million follower social media presence across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube sharing themed dance choreography and lifestyle content.”

Jasmine Perillo is listed as a New York City-based freelance digital content producer, creator, and host of @dtfshow.

Taylor Graysen (Taylor Owen) and James Mitchell Neal are “a viral comedic internet duo, actors, and content creators.”

The only non-influencer celebs photographed not in the cast — or related to them — were Real Housewife Dorinda Medley, and sometime New Yorker reporter Ronan Farrow.

The one main cast member not in attendance: Christine Baranski, whose deliciously character, Aunt Agnes, would not have approved of this at all!

Donate to Showbiz411.com

Showbiz411 is now in its 13th year of providing breaking and exclusive entertainment news. This is an independent site, unlike the many Hollywood trades that are owned by one company. To continue providing news that takes a fresh look at what's going on in movies, music, theater, etc, advertising is our basis. Reader donations would be greatly appreciated, too. They are just another facet of keeping fact based journalism alive.
Thank you


Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman
Roger Friedman is the founder and editor-in-chief of Showbiz411. He wrote the FOX411 column on FoxNews.com from 1999 to 2009, where he covered Michael Jackson, and previously wrote the "Intelligencer" column at New York magazine in the mid-1990s, where he covered the O.J. Simpson trial. He also edited Fame magazine. His bylines have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, Vogue, Details, and the Miami Herald. He is a voting member of the Critics Choice Awards (Film and Television branches), and his movie reviews are tracked by Rotten Tomatoes. With D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, he co-produced the 2002 documentary "Only the Strong Survive," which screened at Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival.

Read more

In Other News