Everyone knows that Jay-Z’s Gold Party is the invite of the Oscars season. The Vanity Fair party got too public, so now the glitteriest of the glitterati go to the Gold Party, where phones are probably locked in the same bags Dave Chappelle uses at his shows. Last year, the party was sorely missed. But this year, members of the various entertainment unions will have to choose between crossing a picket line and missing the after-party. Jay has decided to bring the party back to the Chateau Marmont, long a haven for celebs looking to hide from normies. But since the last Gold Party, the Chateau has been the site of labor disputes, lawsuits, and a boycott.
In March of 2020, the Chateau allegedly fired almost its entire workforce, many without insurance or severance. The boycott was lauded by the likes of “Gabrielle Union, Spike Lee, Issa Rae, Robin Thede, Quinta Brunson, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Roxane Gay, Ashley Nicole Black, and Samira Wiley,” according to the union that represents the Marmont’s workers. Multiple lawsuits accuse the Chateau of failing to protect staff from racial and sexual discrimination while working events. “For Jay-Z to choose the Chateau Marmont for their Gold Party is shockingly insensitive,” said Kurt Petersen, co-president of Unite Here Local 11, in a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. Previous uses of the hotel, including the filming of scenes for Oscar-nominated film Being the Ricardos, were canceled due to the boycott.
