When Daphne Oz enters the ball for the evening, the room truly comes to a standstill. She is MAHA royalty, after all. Just moments before, we had discussed her “optimistic outlook” for her family, the next four years, and the future. “Health has finally taken center stage,” she says about why the moment is so exciting for her. Instead of stopping by interview step-and-repeats, she walks straight into the arms of her husband, John Jovanovic. We’d also discussed our hope that mothers would have better access to pelvic-floor therapy in the near future—though by this point in the evening, the new administration had already taken down the website ReproductiveRights.gov.
Photo: Merrett Fay/Courtesy of MAHA Action
That’s when the MAHA press team lets me know I’ve turned into a genetically modified pumpkin: All journalists must leave by 7 p.m., and I’m getting kicked out. It leaves me hungry both for dinner (I, sadly, won’t be able to try anything on the seed-oil-free menu) and a glimpse of Kennedy, tanned with white teeth, and his wife, Cheryl Hines. I also missed a performance from the singer Jewel. While leaving, I spot Russell Brand, who is so hyper-focused on whatever is in front of him that I wonder if he’s practicing for an upcoming role in a Bird Box film. Looks like I’ll be hitting up delivery when I return to my hotel; maybe another order of french fries will give me my fill.
