BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. − Rain or shine, Jennifer Aniston's new love Jim Curtis is there to be her No. 1 supporter.

The couple officially made their first public appearance at Elle's Women in Hollywood celebration on Thursday, Nov. 17, where Aniston was one of the several women in the industry honored for their artistry, influence and ambition.

While the two lovebirds weren't photographed on the red carpet together (Aniston walked with her publicist), Curtis was seated inside next to his new flame. Aniston, who donned an elegant black Ralph Lauren vintage dress with her classic natural glam, was also seated at a table with her longtime onscreen collaborator, Adam Sandler, and his wife Jackie Sandler.

Curtis, who's a hypnotherapist, life coach and author, patiently waited as Aniston posed for a group photo with the rest of the Elle Women in Hollywood honorees on stage at the end of the night. He smiled on, looking toward the stage, and after the group photo was done and the honorees dispersed, the couple had quickly snuck away, too.

To close out the night, Sandler presented the honor to Aniston with a gushing speech about his friend. "I'm here tonight to talk about one of our favorite women on the planet, the one and only, Jennifer Aniston," Sandler said in his speech.

"I've been friends with this spectacular genius since I was 22 years old, when I was a young, skinny, handsome boy," the actor said to laughter from the room. "I can honestly say Jen is the best in so many ways and one of the most rock steady human beings I have ever met. I've only seen her angry maybe, like, two-and-a-half times in the 40 years I've hung out with her."

In closing out a speech of her own, Aniston reflected on her storied career, the first time she was honored at Elle Women in Hollywood in 2011, her passion for telling nuanced women's stories, and how AI will never replicate humanity on screen like actors do.

"That's what keeps me showing up every day. It's the friendships and the shared belief that storytelling still matters, that bearing our souls as actors and creators still matters," Aniston said, adding that it's "something AI will never be able to duplicate, no matter how smart it gets."

"I'm definitely not the same person I was 14 years ago, thank God," Aniston said. "But what I believed back in 2011 that still holds true is that in this industry: Women have to keep holding each other up, lifting each other up, and lighting the way and showing each other what is possible and leaving the door open behind us so no one has to kick it down."

At the top of the three-hour program, Elle editor-in-chief Nina Garcia said in her opening remarks that, "At the first events, merely spotlighting the work of women in the industry felt like something new. But over the years, this event has become a forum for candid and meaningful reflection.

"For three decades, this event has witnessed Hollywood history − and even made some of its own," the Colombian magazine editor added. "I feel that legacy in the room tonight as I look out on this spectacular crowd."

The night also celebrated Irish actress and "Hamnet" star Jessie Buckley, "One Battle After Another" stars Teyana Taylor and Chase Infiniti, "If I Had Legs I'd Kick You" star Rose Byrne, "Sentimental Value" Norewgian actress Renate Reinsve, "The Smashing Machine" star Emily Blunt and "Sinners" costars Jayme Lawson, Wunmi Mosaku and Hailee Steinfeld (who was unable to attend).

What you didn't see at Elle's Women in Hollywood

Before the festivities officially began, stars (carefully) made their way from the red carpet to the Four Seasons Hotel ballroom. Aniston walked gingerly toward the ballroom to find her seat to avoid slipping on the wet floor as water made its way inside the hotel from the pouring rain outside.

Valet employees clad in yellow rain coats and hotel staff, tasked with mopping and drying the floor to make sure no A-lister fell on their watch, were the real unsung heroes of the night.

"Insecure" star and comedian Yvonne Orji knows how to work a room, smiling at whoever she crossed paths with, and waving down a photographer to take a star-studded group photo with Oscar-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter, "One Battle After Another" actor Regina Hall, "All's Fair" star Niecy Nash-Betts, "Sinners" breakout star Jayme Lawson and South African actress and radio DJ Thando Thabethe.

Orji, who was cheering on and clapping for the honorees of the night from her table, also looked like a jewel in a metallic gold and green ensemble.

It took some time for "Sinners" director Ryan Coogler and his partner in film producing, wife Zinzi Evans, to make their way to their table inside the hotel ballroom, as folks continued to stop them to give them their flowers for the success of the Michael B. Jordan-starring vampire film.

Inside the ballroom, stars took a minute to grab their seats as they mingled with each other, finished their drinks and posed for photos together. Selma Blair, donning a mini dress in the chilly LA weather, caught up with actress Jessica Alba.

The night also saw a few surprises as Kerry Washington rushed from the mid-Wilshire premiere of Netflix's "Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery" at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures to Beverly Hills. She stepped in to present Taylor with her Elle Women in Hollywood honor after Kevin Hart could no longer make it due to scheduling conflicts with filming.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jennifer Aniston's new boyfriend is her No. 1 supporter at Elle's Women in Hollywood event

Reporting by Pamela Avila, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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