Jessica Gelt is an arts and culture writer for the Los Angeles Times. She also co-writes the paper’s twice-weekly Essential Arts newsletter. In her career at the paper she has served as assistant style editor for the Sunday magazine, co-edited the Daily Dish food blog, written a nightlife column called “The Enabler” and regularly covered red carpets and backstage events at the Emmys, Oscars, Grammys and Golden Globes. She has penned cultural commentary and reams of celebrity profiles, as well as investigated claims of sexual misconduct in music and the arts. Over the years, she has written in-depth features about theater, television, film, music, movies, books, art, fashion, food, travel and more. Her award-winning work has appeared in the New York Observer, the L.A. Weekly and Vulture, among others.
Latest From This Author
Ana Segovia’s fluorescent, film-inspired paintings, plus the week’s happenings, including Grand Park’s New Year’s Eve celebration and the biggest arts and culture news.
A letter to Essential Arts readers, L.A. County’s annual holiday celebration, a Velázquez masterpiece in Pasadena and decommissioned Confederate statues coming to MOCA in 2025.
A tribute to the late theater director and producer Bobby Garcia, and more of the week’s biggest arts and culture news.
‘Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical’ makes theater fans for life, plus the week’s biggest arts and culture news.
Tributes to the late theater directors Ted Weiant and David Schweizer, plus the week’s biggest arts and culture news.
‘Wicked’ onstage and onscreen, ‘Once Upon a Mattress’ at the Ahmanson and this week’s big news and events in Southern California arts and culture.
The U.S. debut of abstract painter Zaachariaha Fielding, plus the week’s biggest arts and culture news and an ode to South Coast Rep co-founder Martin Benson.
Visionary opera leader Yuval Sharon will step down as co-artistic director of the Industry, the groundbreaking L.A. company he established a decade ago.
Give the gift of homemade arts and crafts this holiday season
The Natural History Museum’s new NHM Commons is now open, housing Gnatalie the green dinosaur, plus productions of “The Nutcracker” and “A Christmas Carol” ring in the holidays.