$1 Million For a Bar Mitzvah? No Way, Kanye
Image by Wikimedia
Former NBC CEO Jeff Zucker threw his son Andrew a lavish bar mitzvah at the Four Seasons this weekend — complete with sushi, a celebrity guest list that included Katie Couric and customized Converse sneakers handed out to Andrew’s pals as party favors.
But if there was one thing missing from the bash, it was an appearance by Kanye West, who demanded a staggering $1 million when the family asked if he would perform at the event. The New York Post reports that Zucker briefly considered offering West a mere $800,000 — but then came to his senses and offered the gig to Jewish rapper Drake instead (who accepted, presumably for a more reasonable price).
Kanye or no Kanye, The Shmooze’s heart doesn’t exactly break for young Andrew, who reportedly celebrated his transition to adulthood with pastries by “Cake Boss” chef Buddy Valastro and customized drinks coordinated by event planner Colin Cowie.
The event is said to have cost Jeff Zucker a grand total of over $250,000.
The Forward is free to read but not free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
