Iconic Actress Tells Audience to ‘Put Your F***ing Phone Down’ During Event

Sharon Stone is tired of people staring at screens instead of looking each other in the eye.

The 68-year-old Hollywood legend delivered a blunt message during a star-studded gala in Cannes on Monday, telling the well-heeled crowd to stop hiding behind their phones and start acting like human beings again.

Stone, best known for her unforgettable roles in Basic Instinct, Casino and Broken Flowers, was speaking at an event hosted by the Better World Fund, an organization that says it supports “cinema and art at the service of humanity.”

But the evening took a sharp turn when Stone used the moment to call out what she sees as a cold, tech-obsessed culture where people have forgotten how to connect.

The actress urged audience members to turn to the person sitting next to them and offer something real: an apology, a hug and a little compassion.

“I want you to tell them, and I want you to mean it, that you’re sorry for the thing that hurt them,” Stone told the crowd.

Then came the line that got everyone’s attention.

“Put that f—ing phone down,” she said.

Stone did not stop there.

“Turn to the person next to you,” she continued. “Turn that man right there and hug him. Hug that man.”

#SharonStone told #Cannes attendees to “put down your f—king phones” and embrace the strangers next to them during a speech at the Better World Fund gala on Monday:

“I want you to tell them — and I want you to mean it — that you’re sorry for the thing that hurt them. That makes… pic.twitter.com/wUKAtj2PYo

— Variety (@Variety) May 18, 2026

It was classic Sharon Stone: emotional, dramatic and impossible to ignore.

The actress appeared to be making a larger point about loneliness, anger and the way people carry pain around without ever dealing with it. She said those old wounds can make people “afraid, mean, unkind” and angry when they are alone.

Her message was all about kindness, vulnerability and getting off the tiny screens that have taken over modern life.

Still, there was one detail that made the moment even more eye-catching.

While Stone was preaching simple human connection, the gala itself was hardly a casual neighborhood gathering. Tickets reportedly started around $2,300 and climbed as high as $35,000 for VIP access.

So while the message may have been about free kindness, the room hearing it was filled with people who paid a fortune to be there.

Stone has never been afraid to speak her mind, and this Cannes moment proved she still knows how to command a room.

In an era when everyone is filming, scrolling or texting through life, Sharon Stone had one message for the rich and famous crowd in front of her: look up, reach out and put the phone away.