time 100 most influential 2022

Simu Liu introduced Bill Gates to bubble tea at the TIME 100 most influential people gala

By now you might be familiar with the image of Bill Gates drinking bubble tea at the Time 100 Gala, but you might not realize that Canadian actor Simu Liu was responsible for creating the viral moment.

"I just honestly don't know what billionaires drink. I'm assuming some sort of liquid NFT or Web 3 beverage," Liu said to Gates. "Don't forget to chew."

"I think he likes it!" Liu exclaimed after Gates took a sip.

"And that, folks, is how you network at the Time 1oo!" Liu said, adding, "I can't believe I just did that."

Liu was the host of the gala, and it was just one of many moments where he won over major movers and shakers with humour.

"It will go down as one of the single most impactful days of my life… and that's not just because I helped introduce @thisisbillgates to boba," Liu wrote in a caption to a post on Instagram.

Bill Gates also had a response to the moment on social media, saying he's added bubble tea to his list of favourite drinks "after Diet Coke of course."

Of course it was a pre-planned moment, but if you're a big Simu Liu fan you might have suspected the moment was going down as he tweeted about possibly getting bubble tea for Bill Gates back in May.

However, some people are wondering if he actually likes the boba pearls themselves as his straw seems to be high enough to avoid them in the photo.

Simu Liu has been winning people over a lot lately, making a moving speech at the Junos.


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in Eat & Drink

Dessert spot shuts original location and goes all-in on Toronto's new food hall

Toronto restaurant that opened with big buzz has permanently closed

5 tiramisu in Toronto you need to try at least once

Justin Trudeau showed up to eat at a Toronto restaurant this week

Pick-your-own strawberries at farms in Ontario open for the season this month

Win free ice cream for the summer and a Chapman's chest freezer

People in Ontario have mixed feelings about The Beer Store's monopoly ending

The 10 hottest new bars in Toronto right now