A smackdown for the ages at the Oscars after-party, and AI was the spark

March 22, 2026 — 1:30pm

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For star-struck podcaster Scott Galloway, the Vanity Fair Oscars after-party conjured “the most aspirational environment I’ve ever been in in my life”.

I certainly felt aspirational. I aspired to have fun in the beautiful, curvaceous new wing of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art – before my high heels began to hurt. Compared with the boring Oscars ceremony, the party shimmered. Even stars like Al Pacino and Larry David, who often dart away early, were grinning and lingering. And who doesn’t like to see Mick Jagger devilishly dancing around with Jon Batiste?

In one dimly lit spot, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos were acting as passionately as a couple of teenagers; in another, Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner were holding court across the bar from Kendall Jenner and Jacob Elordi. A gorgeous Jane Fonda was, naturally, literally getting her feelings off her chest, sporting a “BLOCK THE MERGER” button on her deep-brown sequin gown – referring to the depressing marriage of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery.

The party had a euphoric vibe. So I was startled when two famous guests had a bristling smackdown.

On one side of this black-tie duel was Jeremy O. Harris, the 36-year-old playwright who shot to fame when he wrote the Tony-nominated Slave Play while........

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