Alexis Wilkins — country music singer, songwriter, political commentator, and podcaster — will perform Jan. 31 at the third annual Starry Starry Night Gala, a glittering evening of entertainment at Chaparral Country Club in Palm Desert, to support breast cancer research at UC San Diego Health’s Moores Cancer Center.
The Nashville-based “Quite Like Whiskey” talent, who released her debut EP Grit in 2023, will attend the gala with FBI Director Kash Patel; the two have been in a relationship for about three years. Wilkins is known for weaving patriotic themes and personal experiences into her music.
This event will feature a lively mix of stars and music, with Eric B. & Rakim — hip-hop pioneers behind the classic 1987 album Paid in Full — joining Patrick Evans, Emmy-winning meteorologist and host of Eye on the Desert, as masters of ceremonies, with actress and comedian Cheryl Hines Kennedy (Curb Your Enthusiasm, Suburgatory) adding her sharp wit to the dynamic.
Moores is the region’s only National Cancer Institute–designated cancer center — and where the event’s organizers, Daphne Barak her husband, Erbil “Bill” Gunasti, were treated for their diagnoses.
Barak, a documentary filmmaker, journalist, and celebrity interviewer, was encouraged by her friend and Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson to pursue the screening that revealed Barak had breast cancer. Following her treatment at Moores, the newly minted cancer survivor became an advocate for early detection. She created the Starry Starry Night Gala with Gunasti, a political columnist for the Daily Mail.
The gala follows a charity golf tournament, creating a full day of community, camaraderie, and causes.
