A standout group of artists, innovators, politicians, athletes, and more came together at a gala in Manhattan on Oct. 29 to celebrate the 2026 TIME100 Next list.
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group → come → list
The evening included a performance from Grammy-nominated singer Raye, whose recent hit singles, including “Where Is My Husband!’” have rocketed her into stardom after more than a decade of making music.
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Husband → include → music
The evening also allowed a space for honorees to toast to what gives them hope for the future, and who helped them achieve success.
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them → allow → success
Among those who spoke were Philadelphia 76ers guard Tyrese Maxey, actor Himesh Patel, singer-songwriter and content creator Alex Warren, Food4Education founder Wawira Njiru, and Saturday Night Live star Ashley Padilla.
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Maxey → speak → those
Here’s a rundown of what each honoree said:
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honoree → ’ → what
Tyrese Maxey gave the evening’s first toast, beginning his remarks by recognizing all the other 2026 TIME100 Next honorees in attendance.
“For me, it’s just an honor to be amongst all of you and be able to speak today,” Maxey said.
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Maxey → give → you
“What motivates me, honestly, is y’all.”
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motivates → motivate → me
Maxey shared a motto that he’s strived to follow since he was a kid: to get “1% better every single day.”
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he → share → that
He added that his father encouraged him that “the sky’s the limit.”
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sky → add → him
Maxey went on to highlight that his platform has enabled him to pursue other passions, including launching a nonprofit foundation to “give back” to the community.
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platform → go → community
The NBA All-Star closed out his toast by applauding all the honorees in the room.
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Star → close → room
“Shout out to all y’all,” he said.
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he → say → y’
“I do really appreciate y’all because y’all are extremely inspirational to me, myself, and all of us around.”
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all → appreciate → us
During his toast, Himesh Patel spoke about how many of the people in the room “hold power and influence.”
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many → speak → power
“In these precarious times, I believe it’s imperative for each of us to think about where we hold it, and how we use it to do good in the world,” Patel said.
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Patel → believe → world
Patel went on to talk about his own story.
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Patel → go → story
He grew up in a village in Cambridgeshire, England, where his parents ran a corner shop, and he delivered newspapers.
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he → grow → newspapers
When he landed his first acting gig at the age of 16, he continued, his parents “made sure” that he kept up his paper route each day.
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he → land → route
“As immigrants who built everything they had with their own hands, they know that nothing is certain except the fact that nothing is certain,” Patel said of his parents.
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Patel → build → parents
He said that his story feels “unlikely because it’s sometimes been hard to believe I ever belong in rooms like this.”
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I → say → this
Patel observed that when TIME was founded in 1923, his ancestors were living in a village in Gujarat, India, where they “were still subjects of colonialism.”
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they → observe → colonialism
“103 years later, here I am, standing amongst you.
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I → stand → you
I have those ancestors to thank,” he said.
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he → have → ancestors
“Because they resisted their oppressors, they fought for their independence.
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they → resist → independence
In the face of fear, they chose to hope.
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they → choose → fear
Because my parents crossed oceans, defied the odds to build a new life in an unknown land.
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parents → cross → land
In the face of uncertainty, they chose to hope.”
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they → choose → uncertainty
Patel called hope “an act of defiance,” and ended his remarks by encouraging everyone in the room to “choose to hope.”
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Patel → call → room
“All of us here are being told that we hold power and influence,” Patel said.
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Patel → tell → power
“I’m using mine, standing here amongst all you incredible people to say: in these precarious times, in the face of fear and uncertainty—I choose to hope.
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I → use → fear
Because imagine the power and the influence that act could hold.”
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act → imagine → power
Alex Warren opened his toast by sharing a story: when he was 7 years old, he climbed a tall tree and shouted down to his father, who was at the bottom and was prepared to catch him: “What if I fall?”
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I → open → him
“Without hesitation, he responds, ‘What if you fly?’” Warren recalled.
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Warren → respond → hesitation
He was always so quick to instill hope and question what you thought was impossible.
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you → instill → hope
My dad was a superhero, and I wanted to impress him.
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I → want → him
I performed talent shows in our living room, singing my heart out.
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I → perform → heart
No matter what lyrics I sang, wrong strings I would play, you couldn’t hear them over the cheers of a proud father.”
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you → sing → father
Warren said that he practiced performing every day, hoping to one day achieve his dreams of being a singer.
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he → say → dreams
“I was too busy trying to show my dad how high I could fly that when I finally looked down, he wasn’t there to catch me,” Warren said.
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Warren → try → me
“I was 9 years old when I woke up to my mom asking me if I wanted to say goodbye to my dad, and the room that was filled with music and cheer the days prior was taken up by the deafening sound of silence.”
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that → wake → silence
…and 28 more, not listed.
The Aporia
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