From Zohran Mamdani to the Knicks’ starting five, Timothée Chalamet to AOC, these iconic figures are changing the world.
With 8.5 million people spread over just 300 square miles, New York is the most populous city in America. Home to Broadway, Wall Street, the Met, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Comedy Cellar and, of course, the news media, New York is where the conversation starts and ends.
Variety’s 2026 New York Legends Power List comprises luminaries in the areas of film, television, music, media, sports, politics and comedy, from Mayor Zohran Mamdani and “The Odyssey” leads Matt Damon and Anne Hathaway to the Fox News brain trust and the New York Knicks. To make the list, candidates’ principal residence must be in New York — sorry, Trump! — and they need to have left an indelible impact on culture. Twenty-five years after the horrors of 9/11, New York is back in a big way.
New York City’s first Muslim and South Asian mayor is one of the most popular politicians in the country, and the Democratic Socialist provides daily fodder for newspaper columnists and cable news talk show hosts, here and abroad. Mamdani and wife Rama are lightning rods that have not only the eyes of New York but the nation upon them.
Ocasio-Cortez is, along with fellow Democratic Socialist Mamdani, the favored punching bag for the political right. Millions were glued to the congresswoman’s social media feeds as she documented her egg-freezing journey, and the potential 2028 presidential hopeful generates front-page headlines every time she opens her mouth.
On top of being one of President Trump’s most outspoken critics, the legendary actor is set to star in the hotly anticipated “Meet the Parents” sequel “Focker-in-Law.” He also presides over the annual Tribeca Festival and a constellation of businesses that include The Greenwich Hotel, Nobu and Locanda Verde.
Few people are more synonymous with New York than Martin Scorsese, who rose from the mean streets of Little Italy to become one of America’s greatest living filmmakers. His company, Sikelia Productions, is based in New York City, as is his 26-year-old daughter, actress and filmmaker Francesca, who regales her social media followers with heartwarming videos of father and daughter on the regular.
Yes, the husband-and-wife team behind the “Barbie” movie (she directed; they co-wrote) live in New York City. Baumbach is a Brooklyn native, while Gerwig’s resided in the Big Apple since 2002, when she enrolled at Barnard. With seven Oscar nominations between them, they’ve made such films as Baumbach’s “The Squid and the Whale” and “Marriage Story” and Gerwig’s “Ladybird,” “Little Women” and the upcoming “Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew.”
Lee has immortalized New York City on the silver screen in films like “Do the Right Thing” and “25th Hour”; taught filmmaking at NYU Tisch since 1993; housed his production company 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks in Fort Greene, Brooklyn — where he hosts popular block parties —since 1979; and been the most legendary Knicks fan ever. Spike Lee is New York.
We know what you’re thinking: Matt Damon … New Yorker? Well, the Boston actor and co-founder of Artists Equity has called the city home since 2021, and may win his first acting Oscar for “The Odyssey,” which is nearing $2 billion in worldwide grosses. His “Odyssey” co-star (and NYC native) Hathaway has also had a big year with “The Devil Wears Prada 2,” “The End of Oak Street” and the upcoming “Verity.” On top of all that, her production company Somewhere Pictures optioned the hugely popular (and enjoyably divisive!) tradwife novel “Yesteryear,” with Hathaway set to star.
The actor-director and the movie star have called New York City home since 2016 and live in the same Brooklyn Heights building as pal Matt Damon. Krasinski wrote and starred in the film “Jack Ryan: Ghost War” this year and is hard at work making “A Quiet Place Part III,” while Blunt had showy roles in “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day.”
This year’s Emmys host — and Variety cover star — has played Olivia Benson in the NBC hit “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” since 1999 and made her Broadway debut in May in “Every Brilliant Thing.” Her biggest fan is none other than New York Knicks superstar Jalen Brunson, who embraces her after his team’s wins, making Hargitay the envy of every fan of the team.
Some thought the “Saturday Night Live” founder and comedy kingmaker would step down following the sketch-comedy show’s massive 50th-anniversary special in 2025. Didn’t happen! Instead, Michaels doubled down and launched “Saturday Night Live U.K.,” served as the subject of this year’s Morgan Neville documentary “Lorne” and even won a Tony for producing the Broadway musical “Schmigadoon!”
Is there a cooler New York family than this trio? Coppola is the auteur behind cult classics like “Lost in Translation” and “Marie Antoinette,” the latter ringing in its 20th anniversary with a coffee table book and a documentary. Meanwhile, Thomas Mars is the lead singer of rock band Phoenix, and Romy Mars, their 19-year-old daughter, has acted in the FX series “The English Teacher” and become a TikTok sensation.
NYC couples don’t really get more iconic than Carrie Bradshaw and her real-life Mr. Big. While Parker’s dominated the small screen in the celebrated New York-set “Sex and the City” and spinoff “And Just Like That …,” ’80s darling Broderick is a Tony-winning Broadway powerhouse, appearing in plays like “The Producers,” “Sylvia” and “Plaza Suite.”
An Upper West Side kid, Stiller got his start with a brief stint on “Saturday Night Live” before rising to the top of the movie-comedy world, starring in films like “There’s Something About Mary” and the “Meet the Parents” franchise while directing “Tropic Thunder” and the Emmy-winning series “Severance.” The Knicks superfan even filmed the team’s recent championship run for an upcoming HBO docuseries.
Chalamet is a tried-and-true New Yorker, having grown up in Hell’s Kitchen before attending LaGuardia High School and Columbia University. The 30-year-old three-time Oscar nominee is one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood, and his films have grossed more than $2.3 billion worldwide. A courtside fixture at Knicks games, he’ll next grace screens in the December sequel “Dune: Part Three.”
While a senior at New York’s Professional Performing Arts School, Queens-born Eisenberg landed his breakout role in 2002’s “Roger Dodger.” Since then, he’s had star turns as Mark Zuckerberg in “The Social Network” and as Lex Luthor in “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice”; contributed to The New Yorker; written a series of plays; and helmed (and co-starred in) the Oscar-nominated drama “A Real Pain” as well as the Julianne Moore-starring upcoming musical comedy “The Debut.”
The A24 juggernaut is unrelenting, and its massive 2026 has only cemented its status as a top-tier brand via the $396 million-grossing “Backrooms,” the studio’s highest-grossing film, as well as “The Drama,” “The Invite,” “Tony,” “Primetime,” “Misty Green,” “Club Kid,” “The Debut” and Nathan Fielder’s Elizabeth Holmes curio “You Can See Everything.”
These best friends not only are two of the most trusted names in news (“Anderson Cooper 360°”) and gossip (“Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen”), but also help the country ring in the new year in style. Cooper is still the chiseled face of CNN, while Cohen recently celebrated the 20th anniversary of Bravo’s “Real Housewives” franchise.
Since becoming friends at NYU, these comedians have been fixtures on the cultural landscape, from Yang’s Emmy-nominated stint on “Saturday Night Live” and turns in “Wicked” and Broadway’s “Oh, Mary!” to their starring roles in the beloved film “Fire Island.” Together, they’re behind the addictive “Las Culturistas” podcast and its awards show expansion, “Las Culturistas Culture Awards,” now on Bravo.
These two alums of Bravo’s reality-TV hit “Summer House” wear plenty of hats, co-hosting the enormously popular podcast “Giggly Squad,” which recently moved to SiriusXM in a rumored nine-figure deal, as well as red-carpet events like the Vanity Fair Oscar Party. They also had a cameo in the hit film “The Devil Wears Prada 2” and are developing a scripted Netflix series produced by Amy Poehler.
Once known as the “King of All Media,” Stern still regales millions of listeners a week on SiriusXM’s “The Howard Stern Show,” which remains a regular stop on your favorite A-lister’s press tour. And the outspoken radio host expanded his reach in September, when an edited version of his show began airing on HBO Max.
Galloway, a former finance bro and millionaire tech founder, and Swisher, the co-founder of Recode and a leading tech journalist, joined forces for “Pivot.” One of the most popular news commentary podcasts in the country, the podcast covers the tech world and counts top politicians and businessmen among its listenership.
Though he and his superstar wife, Beyoncé, are bicoastal, Jay-Z is a Brooklyn legend and an NYC institution. His impact on the city was reaffirmed by his recent star-studded, sold-out Yankee Stadium shows, which kicked off his “Jay-Z30” tour and celebrated the 30th anniversary of debut album “Reasonable Doubt.” He’s also in the HBO docuseries “Jay-Z in 8” and the architect of the NFL’s Emmy-winning Super Bowl halftime show.
The New York Knicks’ fairy-tale run to the NBA title, the team’s first in 53 years, transfixed the city. After every thrilling win, fans poured into the streets in jubilation, hugging and high-fiving each other, and more than 2 million people attended the ticker-tape victory parade. The city has never been more united in joy, and it’s mostly thanks to these five legends.
Dolan, the executive chairman and CEO of MSG Sports and MSG Entertainment and divisive owner of the Knicks, the Rangers and Madison Square Garden, has had quite the year. Not only did his Knicks go on a miracle run to win the NBA championship for the first time since 1973, uniting the entire city, but he also hosted Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s wedding of the decade at MSG.
As commissioner of the National Football League, a position he’s held since 2006, Goodell is undoubtedly the most powerful man in sports. During his tenure, he’s widened the gap between the NFL and the rest of the pro sports leagues, with NFL games making up 83 of the Top 100 highest-rated TV programs last year, and he landed a historic 11-year distribution agreement in 2023 with streamers and networks for a combined $110 billion.
He may not have won the presidency, but the former mayor of New York City is still a centibillionaire ruling over the financial software and media giant Bloomberg L.P., which offers real-time market data via its pricey Bloomberg Terminal and includes magazines like Bloomberg BusinessWeek and Bloomberg Markets, Bloomberg Radio and Bloomberg Television.
One of the most unique power couples in New York City (Diller is gay, yet deeply in love with von Furstenberg), the former studio head and renowned fashion designer preside over an empire that includes Diller’s People Inc., which publishes People, InStyle and Travel + Leisure, to name a few. Furstenberg, meanwhile, is the head of the fashion brand DVF. Through their family foundation, they’ve helped fund projects like the High Line and Little Island.
These late-night hosts are, along with West Coast compatriot Jimmy Kimmel, some of the most pointed critics of President Donald Trump (Fallon not so much), and the ones who seem to get under his skin the most. Colbert may be gone, perhaps at the behest of a certain politician, but he’ll surely be back in some form or another.
“The View” has been at the top of the daytime talk show ratings chart for nine consecutive seasons, and it’s showing no signs of slowing down. This year, it achieved its highest second-quarter ratings since 2000, showing significant gains among women 18-49, and is sure to generate numerous headlines during its landmark 30th season thanks to a certain president who loves tuning in.
“Today,” NBC’s No. 1-ranked morning show, has washed off the stench of Matt Lauer to become appointment television once more, led by the indefatigable Savannah Guthrie, who unfortunately became the story this year, bearing her soul in front of the nation as she pleaded with the kidnappers of her mother, Nancy, in a remarkable display of courage.
Though “Good Morning America” is the No. 2-rated morning show behind “Today,” the Roberts-Stephanopoulos era is going strong, with the team providing a heady mix of hard and soft news. And Strahan, the former New York Giants star, has provided a nice jolt of energy, expanding the show into the sports arena.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Ripa as co-host of the syndicated morning talk show “Live With Kelly and Mark,” having previously been joined by Regis Philbin, Michael Strahan and Ryan Seacrest. Since 2023, she’s shared hosting duties with husba
Though it’s No. 3 in the morning show ratings war, behind “Today” and “Good Morning America,” King and Burleson’s “CBS Mornings” is the one program that’s remained editorially consistent during the chaotic Bari Weiss era at CBS News, thanks in no small part to the Emmy-winning King’s steady leadership.
These are the men — and yes, it’s only men — entrusted with anchoring the three major evening news programs: “ABC World News Tonight With David Muir,” “NBC Nightly News With Tom Llamas” and “CBS Evening News With Tony Dokoupil.” Muir is first in the ratings, followed by Llamas and Dokoupil, who had a rocky start in the chair and remains a distant third.
Turn on ESPN at any time of day and you’re likely to see this loudmouthed pundit, who brings a preacher’s charisma to sports coverage. Smith hosts the morning show “First Take” and “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on ESPN Radio and is the chief NBA analyst for the all-powerful sports network. He also regularly pops up on the soap opera “General Hospital” and has even flirted with a presidential run.
Want to know what the most-watched late-night show is? It’s not “The Tonight Show” or “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” (RIP “The Late Show”), but “Gutfeld!” The Fox News program averages more than 3 million total viewers per episode, far outranking the competition in the 10 p.m. hour. On top of that, the controversial conservative is a co-host of “The Five,” Fox News’ highly-rated talk show.
News Corp. honcho Thomson, along with Fox News CEO Scott and president Wallace, are the three-headed hydra in charge of Fox News, the most popular cable news network in the country. During Trump’s second term, it has remained on the good side of the president, with several of its on-air talents helping Trump shape policy, and it also hosts top-rated late-night show “Gutfeld!”
Thompson, the former New York Times Co. CEO and BBC director-general, has been CEO of CNN since 2023, replacing Chris Licht after his abrupt firing and guiding the embattled cable news network through David Zaslav’s tumultuous Warner Bros. Discovery tenure. Whether the British news vet will survive David Ellison’s potential takeover is anyone’s guess, though it’d be foolish to doubt him.
As the chairman of NBCUniversal News Group, guiding NBC News and Telemundo, Conde is one of the most powerful Latinos in media, recently overseeing Telemundo’s World Cup coverage. He’s joined by Blumenstein, who’s served as president of editorial at NBC News since 2023. Under their leadership, “NBC Nightly News With Tom Llamas” has been up, while “Today” sits atop the morning show ratings.
As chairman, Berwick controls all of Bravo and Peacock’s unscripted content, including “Love Island USA,” the No. 1 streaming title of the summer; the Emmy-winning competition series “The Traitors”; Bravo’s expanding live events business, anchored by the biennial BravoCon; and the scandalous, Emmy-nominated “Summer House.” The British-born exec has also overseen the ongoing celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ever popular “Real Housewives” franchise.
It hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Weiss, the divisive New York Times op-ed columnist turned editor-in-chief of CBS News, and Cibrowski, the CBS News president, who’ve attempted to rebrand the network as more MAGA-friendly to appease Paramount Skydance CEO David Ellison. And if the pending Warner Bros. Discovery acquisition goes through, you might see Weiss put in charge of CNN as well.
Under Tucker’s leadership, The Wall Street Journal has emerged as one of the great media success stories. Digital subscriptions are up 30% since Tucker took the reins in 2023, becoming the first woman to lead the publication. And the Journal has produced several big investigative reports during her tenure, including a Pulitzer Prize-winning series on the chaotic culture at Elon Musk’s companies SpaceX and Tesla.
Remnick, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, has been the editor of The New Yorker since 1998, ushering it into the digital age and expanding its readership to younger generations. Haskell, meanwhile, has done a stellar job shepherding New York since 2019, including publishing E. Jean Carroll’s account of allegedly being sexually assaulted by President Trump.
As the head of CAA’s news division, Adler commands a roster that’s a who’s who of media and politics, from MS NOW’s Peter Alexander and CNN’s John Berman to former Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative sports podcaster Pablo Torre. If you consume any news, you’ve seen Adler’s clients.
Since 2017, the British music executive has been chairman of Sony Music Group and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, controlling the Columbia, RCA, Epic, Arista, Jive and Sony Music Nashville labels. His artists include the biggest hitmaker of the year, country star Ella Langley, and some other folks you may have heard of: Beyoncé, Adele, Harry Styles, Travis Scott, Tate McRae and Bruce Springsteen.
The brash, British-born restaurateur has long been a New York City fixture with his French bistro-inspired Balthazar, The Odeon, Minetta Tavern, Pastis and Cafe Luxembourg. His legend has only grown in recent years thanks to his page-turning memoir “I Regret Almost Everything,” blissfully blunt social media persona and banning of James Corden from Balthazar.
Thelen and Frost, a married couple who attended Harvard Business School together, have fast become two of the most influential people in the restaurant world thanks to their list-making app Beli. It’s the go-to app among Gen Z foodies, with 80% of its millions of users under 35, and counts Zendaya among its devotees.
Cohen has been head of YouTube Music since its inception in 2016. During his tenure, YouTube has helped launch the careers of emerging artists like NBA YoungBoy and Doja Cat while serving as the go-to platform for music videos like Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia” and Drake’s short film “FOMO.”
Any New Yorker who’s even tangentially involved in the film biz has rubbed shoulders with Bernard and Barker, the co-founders (along with Marcie Bloom) and co-presidents of Sony Pictures Classics. The pair have been responsible for a diverse array of cherished movies, from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” to “Whiplash” to this year’s “The Only Living Pickpocket in New York.”