Sophia Michaels
Former hard-charging high society publicist Peggy Siegal — who famously introduced her plastic surgeon at her 66th birthday at La Grenouille a decade ago — was seen celebrating her 76th at Dopo Argento in Southampton over the weekend.
Once known for her upscale events to boost Oscar contenders that often included brainy chats with filmmakers, Siegel joked at the shindig, “Should we do a Q&A?”
Guests included philanthropic types, such as Barbara Guggenheim, Lynn de Rothschild, Catie Marron, Kara Ross, Audrey Gruss, Pia Getty and Hilary Geary Ross.
We hear that former New York Times writer Alex Kuczynski, Heather deForest Crosby and Katherine Bryan threw the affair together in two days by booking the back of the eatery and bringing in table settings of flowers.
The well-heeled group sang “Happy Birthday,” and Siegal thanked the gathering, calling them all “successful” and “beautiful.”
“I don’t want to be one of those, ‘I am so blessed,’ but I am,” a retrospective Siegal said during a toast. “I have great friends. I have a great life. I try to be funny and astute about life around me.”
It’s been a rough few years for the former Hollywood whisperer who fell from grace after being accused in the New York Times of helping notorious pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein rejoin polite society after his release from prison in 2010.
She was also profiled in Vanity Fair and the Hollywood Reporter.
Siegal vehemently denied any knowledge of Epstein’s misdeeds. “I was crucified for knowing him,” she told Page Six, but she was forced into early retirement.
At her party, she said not working has given her a chance to spend time with friends and cultivate relationships. “I’ve known you all such a long time,” she said. “I have the utmost respect for all of you. If I don’t like you, you didn’t get invited. So I actually love you.”
She’ll next travel to Greece . . . where she’ll have another party.
