Hillary Clinton Makes Surprise Appearance at UNICEF Gala to Honor Katy Perry

11/29/2016 by Ashley Lee

Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Pamela Fiori, Hillary Clinton, Katy Perry, and Caryl Stern speak on stage during the 12th annual UNICEF Snowflake Ball at Cipriani Wall Street on Nov. 29, 2016 in New York City. 

Hillary Clinton made rare post-election appearance at UNICEF's annual Snowflake Ball to surprise honoree Katy Perry, an outspoken supporter throughout her presidential campaign.

"On a personal level, I cannot tell you how delighted I am to be here to help celebrate … a global megastar, a social media queen with the most Twitter followers in the world – although she's getting some competition – and someone whose powerful voice and creative lyrics remind us when you get knocked down to get back up,” Clinton said while presenting the Audrey Hepburn Humanitarian Award to the musician, who was immediately brought to tears as the attendees of Tuesday's gala at Cipriani Wall Street gave her a standing ovation.

“I have seen Katy's commitment to the causes she believes in firsthand,” she continued. “I've gotten to spend time with her and I know how deeply she cares about making our world a better place. She is serious about understanding the complex problems we face and pulling people together to solve them. We need champions like Katy now more than ever: her passion, her energy and, yes, her voice, louder than a lion.”

Perry, an ambassador for the organization since 2013 who also raised over $1 million for UNICEF through her most recent world tour, jokingly asked the ballroom, “Does anyone have a tissue?” And as Clinton exited the space with her security detail, Perry told her, “I've always had a voice – a singing voice – but I've never had a voice like I've had before. Hillary has lit that voice inside of me, and that light will never go out, it will continue to get brighter and brighter and brighter. Thank you Hillary. You motivate me and so many millions of people.”

Like Clinton, Perry also included a subtle dig at Donald Trump: "Even though I've only been on a few field visits, I'm happy I've helped highlight the effects of climate change, which is real."

Octavia Spencer hosted the event, also attended by Allison Williams, Tea Leoni, Maggie Q, Orlando Bloom, Tamron Hall and Kyle Maclachlan, among others. The gala dinner included performances by Sara Bareilles and the cast of The Color Purple.

More to come.