Key Takeaways
- At his invite-only Strong Women, Stronger Drinks event at Toronto's Casa Loma, Drake handed more than $1 million in cash and luxury prizes to women entrepreneurs, including $1,000 for every guest, ten $50,000 gifts, six $100,000 gifts, and raffles for BMWs, G-Wagons, and Birkin bags.
- He made a point of spotlighting his former Degrassi: The Next Generation co-star Andrea Lewis, giving her $50,000 onstage and calling the moment "poetic" because they played on-screen couple Jimmy and Hazel together.
- Lewis called the gesture "very unexpected" and "a real blessing," saying she plans to reinvest the money into her production company Jungle Wild Productions and her creative team as part of her work as a multi-hyphenate creator.
Drake's annual Strong Women, Stronger Drinks event doubled as a reunion with a familiar face when the rapper handed his former Degrassi co-star Andrea Lewis $50,000 on stage at Casa Loma Mansion in Toronto.
The invite-only gathering brought together women entrepreneurs, creators, and influencers for an evening that saw Drake distribute more than $1 million in cash and luxury prizes. Every attendee walked away with a $1,000 cash welcome gift. Ten women received $50,000 each, six received $100,000 each, and raffle prizes included BMWs, Mercedes-Benz G-Class vehicles, and Birkin bags.
Setting the tone from the stage, Drake told the crowd: "What we've done is sent out an invite list. All of you who are doing incredible things in your respective fields. Whether you're grinding or ascending to the moon, or somewhere in between. We hope that you can be social, talk to each other, learn from each other, and we have an incredible evening for you."
When Lewis's name came up, Drake made the moment personal. "This is poetic because me and Andrea used to be on Degrassi together," he said on stage. Lewis, who played Hazel Aden on Degrassi: The Next Generation, was the on-screen girlfriend of Drake's character Jimmy Brooks.
Lewis called the gift "very unexpected" and praised the longtime connection between them. "It's been a real blessing," she said in a statement (via People). "We've seen each other grow up and I feel very lucky to have a friend like him and that no matter where we are in the world or our personal journeys we always manage to stay connected."
She also addressed what the money means for her work: "The night was about celebrating women who are hustling and doing big things and he said that he wanted to change our lives. Every business woman in the room knows that someone investing in your business at any level makes a huge difference! As a multi-hyphenate creative with a production company, this was a very generous gift."
Lewis, who founded production company Jungle Wild Productions in 2012, said she plans to put the $50,000 back into her creative projects and her production team.
She celebrated the moment on her Instagram, posting a reel with the caption: "My TV boyfriend stays blessing me! 🙌🏾💸💸"
