Steven Spielberg Gets His MoMA Moment at the 2026 Film Benefit Presented by Chanel

In 1974, the Museum of Modern Art introduced Steven Spielberg to audiences when it screened his first film, The Sugarland Express, as part of its New Directors/New Films series. A year later, Spielberg would go on to make Jaws. Fifty-two years later, the museum invited him back, this time to honor the legendary director as part of its 2026 Film Benefit, presented by Chanel.

“I assumed they’d get back around to me one of these days,” Spielberg told W on the event’s red carpet on Thursday night. On stage, he played it a bit more coy. “Why did you wait so long to invite me back?” he joked.

Perhaps the presence of his friends and fellow industry giants put Spielberg in a more humble mindset. Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Christopher Walken, Michelle Pfeiffer, and more of the director’s contemporaries braved the torrential rainstorm on November 12 to support the filmmaker and honor his extensive contributions to cinema. Many of the guests were dressed in Chanel—a sponsor of the benefit since 2011, and a patron of filmmakers for much longer—including Spielberg himself, who thanked the maison for providing his suit for the evening, “so I would look like a right honorable honoree.”

Drew Barrymore, whose career famously began in 1982 with Spielberg’s seminal alien flick, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, arrived in a characteristic Bohemian black and white tweed coat with a hem of long fringe and a black newsboy cap. Zoe Saldaña—star of Spielberg’s 2004 comedy-drama The Terminal—proved undeterred by the freezing rain outside, arriving in a sheer, muslin overshirt and matching embroidered jacket and skirt from Chanel’s fall/winter 2026 haute couture collection. Michelle Williams, who earned an Oscar nod for her portrayal of Spielberg’s real-life mother in 2022’s The Fabelmans, was beaming with pride in a glittering sheer set from Blazy’s Métiers d’art 2026 collection.

The event was filled with Spielberg’s former collaborators, all happy and eager to celebrate the director on the eve of his 80th birthday this December. Cate Blanchett showed her support, as did Disclosure Day stars Eve Hewson and Emily Blunt. The latter took the stage during the festivities to speak about her experience with Spielberg on the recent film. “I just loved working with him deeply,” she said. “Anyone who has worked with him will know that on the back of his director's chair, it says dad.”

Family was a recurring theme of the night’s speeches, which began with a surprise appearance by Tom Cruise. “Since I was a young man, you were very generous with me,” he said of Spielberg. The director’s wife of 25 years, Kate Capshaw, was mentioned almost as much as the honoree himself. Cruise recalled the meals he had with the couple. Blunt similarly gave her love to Capshaw. “I'm so happy to know you and to know Kate. John and I love you both so much,” Blunt said of her husband, John Krasinski, who was seated in the crowd.

The tributes continued with Ariana DeBose, who took the stage to perform “Somewhere” from Spielberg’s 2021 film adaptation of West Side Story, in which her performance as Anita earned her an Academy Award. “I had the beautiful privilege of making West Side Story with him, and honestly, the gift of that was just getting to be in his creative playground,” DeBose said. Martin Scorsese, Spielberg’s friend of more than five decades, followed with a reflection on his influence as both a filmmaker and an innovator. “He evolved the art form and the industry with new technology,” Scorsese said. “But here’s the thing: He still retains emotional and moral gravity, always with the heart.”

Comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short brought their signature humor, poking fun at Spielberg’s style. “It just screams Chanel,” Martin quipped as a photo of Spielberg in a day-glo Hawaiian shirt filled the screen behind them. The pair recounted Spielberg’s many accolades (three Oscars, thirteen Emmy wins, and five Golden Globes) as well as his unparalleled filmography. “Although Steven has had an amazing career, I think we have to say, if you take out E.T., Schindler’s List, Jaws, Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Close Encounters, and Saving Private Ryan, there's not really a lot there,” Short deadpanned.

The jokes didn’t end when Martin and Short left the stage, however. The evening concluded with a surprise appearance by Bruce Springsteen. But before The Boss performed an acoustic version of “Dancing in the Dark,” the New Jersey native recounted his first experience with Spielberg’s work. “In June of 1975, I went to a small theater across from the Atlantic Ocean and I saw Jaws.” Springsteen explained that at the time, one of the great pleasures on the Jersey Shore was night swimming, “preferably naked,” and “preferably with someone you wanted to have sex with.” Unfortunately for Springsteen, “Steven Spielberg fucked that up.”

As Spielberg prepares to enter his eighth decade, he isn’t thinking much about the milestone or have any plans for his birthday. Ask my wife,” he said with a shrug. Perhaps he will have a party and invite Martin Scorsese, Tom Cruise, Bruce Springsteen, Robert DeNiro, and Cate Blanchett. But then again, he just did that.