Lake Bell and Aurora James Hosted an ‘Auction of Nothing’ to Benefit The Fifteen Percent Pledge

Imagine your most interesting friends gathered around a room, gossiping over cocktails and promising to hex each other’s exes in exchange for a home cooked meal or intel about a secret family cookie recipe. That’s exactly what unfolded at a so-called Auction of Nothing, hosted on a breezy Sunday evening in Silver Lake by Lake Bell and Aurora James.

Welcoming guests to gather at the recording studio of Grammy Award-winning producer Emile Haynie, the fundraiser bucked convention by offering niche and personal experiences over extravagant lots. In fact, Bell has been organizing these nights for the last 15 years, regularly inviting her friends to auction off things that, quite literally, cost them nothing, in order to raise money for important causes.

This time around, she teamed up with Brother Vellies designer Aurora James to benefit her non-profit The Fifteen Percent Pledge, which combats racial inequity by providing grants and resources to Black-owned businesses and entrepreneurs. Setting a warm and inviting tone for the evening, Bell personally explained the concept to the crowd by opening up a stacked leather binder full of old bids, ranging from piano lessons with Jeff Goldblum to afternoon tea with Gloria Steinem. “I always auction off clay plating because I'm a ceramicist,” she told Vogue. Her only rule for the one-on-one creative session at her home? “No work talk.” 

The premise soon became “something really special in an organic way,” she explained. “That’s what I'm all about: kindness, talking to people in real life, and games. It’s chic, fabulous, and fun, and it gets a bunch of cool people together.

While James admitted she was too “terrified” to participate at Bell’s last event, she found herself eager to host. “I feel like community is really what people want right now,” she said. “There’s a lot of opportunities in my life where I can get dressed up and be at a fancy table, but what I really relish the most is being around people that care about the things that I care about, having conversation, and meeting new people.”

After sipping on Yola mezcal cocktails and enjoying some light bites al fresco, guests made their way into Haynie’s eclectic studio which was filled with mismatched couches and chairs, as Nancy Wilson’s Let’s Hold on to Love played softly in the background.

Bell emceed the event, cracking jokes while egging the room into a bidding war for an evening with actress and comedian Nora “Awkwafina” Lum at the infamous members-only magic club, Magic Castle. (A lucky wonder-seeker eventually snapped it up for a cool $1,600). In turn, Awkwafina won a studio session with photographer Jojo Korsh but was sadly out-bid for a Ruby Quilter tattoo by an eager 17-year-old in attendance (with express permission from his father). James herself also offered up five pairs of shoes from Brother Vellies.

The aforementioned “hex on your ex” became one of the evening’s hot ticket items—fetching a respectable $750. Another was a personally curated game night thrown by content creator and designer—and would-be matchmaker—Aimee Song, who boasted that her hosting prowess has already resulted in six happy couples meeting. 

Attendees included Malbon Golf co-founder Erica Malbon, stylist Jasmine Caccamo, and an array of artists, executives, and fashion industry veterans. Participation was all but mandatory for guests, who eventually exchanged phone numbers after bidding on visits to strangers’ homes for everything from French baking lessons to private dinners and tennis lessons. Between the auction and personal donations, Bell and James raised more than $65,000 for the Pledge in just a few short hours. 

“I feel so hopeless sometimes, just as a citizen in the world,” James told new and old friends before giving Bell the floor. “And then, when I get together in a room with people that also ‘give a shit’—it reminds me that we can move mountains when we’re together, and that energy as a collective is really f*cking powerful.”