Whoopi Goldberg, Gabrielle Union, Jessica Alba, Rachel Bloom, Samantha Bee, Luca Guadagnino, And More Join The Lineup For The Seventh Annual Vulture Festival

Photo Courtesy of Glamour Magazine, AP Press, and Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic/Getty Images

Vulture today announced the lineup for its annual pop-culture extravaganza, Vulture Festival, which is returning for a seventh year with a full week of high-profile events bringing the entertainment site to life. Taking place from October 26 to 30, the festival lets fans around the world experience an incredible array of actors in conversation, screenings, cast reunions, and unique surprises that only Vulture can provide — right in their living rooms. Additional events will be announced in the coming weeks. 

The initial lineup for the showcase, curated by Vulture’s editors, includes these events: 

• A NIGHT WITH THE NEW GIRL BOYS. After months of quarantining, who doesn’t need a night with the boys? But not just any boys, specifically the boys from Fox’s beloved sitcom New Girl. Join Jake Johnson, Max Greefield, Lamorne Morris, and Damon Wayans Jr. for a true guys night. We’ll share feelings and memories and probably some thoughts on sports, live from what we’ll all pretend is our virtual blanket fort. Maybe one of them will make sangria? Who knows! We can’t really control what the stars do in their own homes. 

• GABRIELLE UNION AND JESSICA ALBA: THAT’S IT, THAT’S THE EVENT. Confirmed legends Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba will sit down with us for a look at their storied careers, from the classic sports film Bring It On to TV’s groundbreaking Dark Angel, and their work today, as the current show L.A.’s Finest brings them together at last. Find out what it’s like to go from being teen idols to queens of Hollywood with two women who have managed to do just that without compromising their ethics. And hey, maybe we’ll finally get their skin-care secrets? 

• HOW TO WITH JOHN WILSON. Documentary filmmaker and self-described “anxious New Yorker” John Wilson shares his hilarious odyssey of self-discovery and observations of NYC daily life with the new HBO docu-comedy series How To With John Wilson. This event will feature a special screening of the second episode followed by a Q&A with Wilson himself. 

• LUCA GUADAGNINO FILM SCHOOL. Call Me by Your Name and Suspiria filmmaker Luca Guadagnino talks to Vulture’s Hunter Harris about his latest project, the HBO series We Are Who We Are, and his career. He’ll share five of the scenes that first inspired him to bring his own point of view to the cinema and how they helped him shape his craft.  

• RACHEL BLOOM IN CONVERSATION WITH HER FIFTH-GRADE BULLY 

• Before she was a glamorous Emmy- and Golden Globe–winning celebrity, Rachel Bloom — the star and creator of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, who will publish her first book in November (I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are) — was bullied. And now she and her very real-life fifth-grade bully are reuniting at Vulture Festival for a conversation because, truly, why not? This certainly won’t be the craziest thing to happen this year month, but it just might be the most healing. Join Rachel and her bully for a chat about the trauma we inflict on one another, whether we ever grow out of it, and how some of this just might, maybe, possibly, sort of be relevant to literally everything happening in the world today. 

• STATE OF THE UNION WITH SAMANTHA BEE AND REBECCA TRAISTER. In case you somehow forgot — and we demand you tell us how you did that — it’s an election year. So we’ve brought together two of our country’s most trenchant political minds: New York Magazine writer-at-large Rebecca Traister and Samantha Bee, host of the Emmy-winning late-night show Full Frontal With Samantha Bee, to discuss how this year’s events have brought us to where we are, what we might expect for November, and what the heck we can do about it. 

• THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB SLEEPOVER. Grab your pj’s and join The Baby-Sitters Club cast members Sophie Grace, Momona Tamada, Shay Rudolph, Xochitl Gomez, and Malia Baker, along with showrunner Rachel Shukert for the ultimate girls’ night in! Chaperoned by special guest moderator Busy Philipps, we’ll be sharing show secrets, taking a peek at some brand-new content, welcoming special guests, and playing a round of truth or dare. 

• THE NORTHERN  EXPOSURE “FILM FESTIVAL.” Celebrate Northern Exposure’s 30th anniversary with a good old-fashioned small-town film festival. We’re descending on the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, populated by Rob Morrow, Barry Corbin, Janine Turner, Cynthia Geary, and John Corbett, for a look back at some of our favorite moments from the show, conversations with the cast, and, of course, a way to stimulate their local economy by taking up all the hotel rooms.  

• THE WINKLER METHOD: A HENRY WINKLER ACTING CLASS. So you wanna be an actor, huh, kid? Well, as Gene Cousineau might say, “I don’t believe you!” Henry Winkler does, though, and the advice he gave us after his 2018 Emmy win for HBO’s Barry was, “Prepare so that you are not a flash in the pan.” Winkler’s approach has earned him a career that has spanned almost 50 years as an actor, producer, and director. From his role as the Fonz in Happy Days, who set a new standard for “cool,”to the unforgettably hapless lawyer Barry Zuckerkorn in Arrested Development, Winkler’s range is unparalleled. And now he’s looking forward to helping you (yes, you!) find your muse as he answers pre-submitted questions from students and lovers of the craft. 

• VULTURE HONORARY DEGREE: WHOOPI GOLDBERG. As one of just 16 people on planet Earth to achieve the status of EGOT (winning an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony), Whoopi Goldberg is far past the need for even a surname. Whoopi is Whoopi: She’s a fearless performer, an American icon, and now the recipient of Vulture’s Honorary Degree. 

On sale today, Vulture Festival: In the Nest offers two ticket tiers: $30 for the full week of events, and $50 for the full week of events plus a subscription to New York Magazine. Events will go live at scheduled times each day from October 26 to 30. After each individual event airs, ticket holders can watch the recording on demand through Sunday, November 1. From September 30 to October 30, 20 percent of the price for each festival ticket sold will be donated to charities that support youth political empowerment and the fight against racial injustice.

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Talia M.

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