Jay Leno, the former longtime host of NBC’s The Tonight Show and a legendary stand-up comedian, will be the very special guest as the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County presents its 10th annual All-White Party, a night dedicated to raising funds for the children at the Boys & Girls Club of Dane County (BGCDC) featuring a dinner, a comedy show, an after-party and a chance to meet some of the biggest musicians, comedians, actors, and stars in the U.S.
“Whatever it takes for us to raise money for our kids, and to give people a world-class experience, that’s what we’re trying to do. Madison Magazine named the White Party the number one a-list event in Madison three years ago, and I got to believe that that’s still the case between the local, regional and national celebrities that we bring out for this event,” Michael Johnson, CEO of BGCDC, tells Madison365. “We got people coming from Chicago, from Philadelphia, from Florida, from South Dakota to Milwaukee, Beloit and Janesville, all channeling their support to help our local kids.”
The All-White Party, one of BGCDC’s most anticipated nights of the year, brings together community, culture, and celebration in a high-energy, all-white setting and will be held June 27 at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Madison.
“One of the reasons we got Jay Leno is because some of the people I heard from … some of my more mature donors, were saying, ‘Hey, can we get somebody that we might know, too?’ Johnson says, smiling. “I tried to do the best of both worlds. So you got Jay on one spectrum of things, and then you got groups like [Chicago rap group] Do or Die, and [actor] Tyrese and DJ Spinderella, that’s going to appeal to another group.”
How does one even get a hold of Jay Leno?
“Just connections I’ve made over the years with different people. Sometimes I reach out to my friends in Philly for events. This time, I reached out to a woman in Phoenix, who was also the person who connected me to [All-White Party headliner Allen] Iverson last year, and she knew Jay Leno’s agent and that’s how we made it happen,” Johnson says.
Johnson says Leno will do a 30-minute monologue, as he used to on The Tonight Show. Leno, famous as a car aficionado, will appear next to a 1929 Packard car.
Another highlight of the night will be DJ Spinderella, born Deidra Muriel Roper, who is a DJ, rapper, and producer best known as a member of the pioneering hip-hop group Salt-N-Pepa.
“DJ Spinderella is the first female DJ in the history of this country to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. So she’s gonna spin for about 45 minutes at the event,” Johnson says. “And one of the things I wanted to do was to connect her to local people here. There’s also gonna be two other local DJs, DJ JuJu and DJ Shorty Entertainment, two recognizable brands in Madison. I wanted to give them an opportunity to work with a legendary icon.”
Another special guest at the 2026 All-White Party will be Tyrese Gibson, an R&B singer, actor, and author who first rose to prominence in the late ’90s after signing with RCA Records.
Comedians J.J. Williamson, Comedian Q, and Jamal R. Jackson, widely known as “Laughmaster,” will also be featured at the event, along with actor Woody McClain, best known for his critically acclaimed portrayal of Bobby Brown in BET’s The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story.
Local Madison artists will also perform at the event, including Rob Dz and J Clark.
(Photo supplied)
“These are well-known local artists in this community who are all fans of Tyrese’s and so I wanted to put them on the show so they can get that experience,” Johnson says.
“We do have a lot going on that night, but if you look at our website, we have a very tight run of show,” Johnson adds.
Johnson says that there are three main things that fundraising from the All-White Party will support.
“This fundraiser helps us to feed our kids at our clubs. We provide meals every day for our kids at Boys and Girls Clubs, and there’s not a lot of grants or government funding that supports that,” he says. “It also supports the educational programs that we run in all of the high schools in Madison through AVID/TOPS, and then supports our after-school and preschool program in Sun Prairie, including our workforce center in Fitchburg.”
There’s still plenty of time to get tickets and sponsorships are available. “Our VIP seats are almost sold out,” Johnson says.
The dress code for the event, of course, is all white. There will be a full cash bar with beer, wine, and cocktails available for purchase. Overall, the all-White Party is always a high-energy night of comedy, entertainment, food, music, and celebration. What’s Johnson’s favorite part of the event?
“I really don’t get to enjoy it until I see the pictures the next day,” Johnson confesses. “At the event, I’m always in the moment of making sure that people are having a good experience, whether it’s my colleagues, our donors, community leaders, parents, alumni members, or even my own personal family who come from across the country to attend this event. So I really don’t enjoy until after the event is over.
“But,” he adds, “the next day, seeing all the beautiful pictures that people post and send me … that’s what really makes me happy.”
