The 2026 edition of the much-anticipated Met Gala has become controversial before the first major look hit the carpet.
Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour are among the official co-chairs, while Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are serving as lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs.
Their involvement reportedly came with a $10 million sponsorship and has placed the Amazon founder at the center of a public backlash against the gala.
Image credits: Christopher Polk/Variety/Getty Images
With an estimated net worth of $277.1 billion, the fourth-richest person in the world’s Met Gala role has been tied to complaints about Amazon labor conditions, wealth inequality, alleged tax avoidance, his reported ties to the current president, and wider anger over billionaire influence in cultural institutions.
Protesters have put up posters around the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, urging people to “boycott the Bezos Met Gala.” Activist groups have reportedly placed around 300 fake urine bottles inside the building, referencing complaints that Amazon workers have had to urinate in bottles instead of taking bathroom breaks.
“The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation,” a slogan read.
Anna Wintour has defended the couple’s involvement, calling Bezos and Sánchez Bezos a “wonderful asset to the museum and the event” in a CNN interview. She also described Sánchez Bezos as a “great lover of costume and obviously of fashion,” adding that she was “very grateful for her incredible generosity.”
The Met Gala remains the Costume Institute’s main annual fundraiser. The first gala was held in 1948 as a more restrained dinner event before it became a major celebrity fashion spectacle under former Vogue editor Diana Vreeland in the 1970s.
Wintour began co-chairing the event in the 1990s, helping turn it into fashion’s most powerful red carpet. This year, tickets reportedly cost $100,000, up $25,000 from last year.
The host committee includes stars such as Zoë Kravitz, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Teyana Taylor, Lena Dunham, Lisa, Sam Smith, and A’ja Wilson.
Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber, and Gabrielle Union are also expected to attend, though the full guest list remains private.
#1 Meryl Streep
Meryl Streep’s absence has been heavily discussed because of the timing.
The Oscar winner is promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, which premiered last Friday (May 1), in which she plays Miranda Priestly, a fictionalized version of a powerful fashion editor modeled in part on Anna Wintour.
With Wintour co-chairing this year’s gala, Streep’s possible attendance had been the subject of intense chatter.
Instead, she declined an offer to serve as a Met Gala co-chair.
Streep’s absence also needs context, because the online chatter around this year’s Met Gala made it easy to read every no-show as a protest against Bezos. In her case, that does not appear to be what happened.
Her representative told Page Six that Streep “has been invited to the Met Gala for many years but has never attended.”
The spokesperson added, “While she appreciates Vogue and Anna and her incredible imagination and stamina, it has never quite been her scene.” Streep’s decision had nothing to do with Bezos or Sánchez Bezos, they said.
Even so, Streep’s decision still landed in the middle of a broader cycle of high-profile names staying away from the Bezos-backed event.
The Oscar winner is promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, which premiered last Friday (May 1), in which she plays Miranda Priestly, a fictionalized version of a powerful fashion editor modeled in part on Anna Wintour.
With Wintour co-chairing this year’s gala, Streep’s possible attendance had been the subject of intense chatter.
Instead, she declined an offer to serve as a Met Gala co-chair.
Streep’s absence also needs context, because the online chatter around this year’s Met Gala made it easy to read every no-show as a protest against Bezos. In her case, that does not appear to be what happened.
Her representative told Page Six that Streep “has been invited to the Met Gala for many years but has never attended.”
The spokesperson added, “While she appreciates Vogue and Anna and her incredible imagination and stamina, it has never quite been her scene.” Streep’s decision had nothing to do with Bezos or Sánchez Bezos, they said.
Even so, Streep’s decision still landed in the middle of a broader cycle of high-profile names staying away from the Bezos-backed event.
10points
#2 Zohran Mamdani
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed his absence from this year’s Met Gala on April 16, 2026, breaking with several predecessors, such as Bill de Blasio and Eric Adams, who had attended the exclusive fundraiser.
Mamdani said he wanted to focus on “affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable,” according to an interview that same day. His wife, Rama Duwaji, will also skip the event to prioritize civic duties.
For Mamdani, attending a $100,000-per-ticket gala backed by Bezos would have clashed with the affordability message he has built his mayoralty around.
This was not Mamdani’s first clash with Bezos or Amazon.
For instance, on April 9, 2026, he backed the Delivery Protection Act, also known as Intro 518, a proposal that would force Amazon and other delivery companies to directly hire local delivery workers while meeting stronger pay, licensing, vehicle safety, and training standards.
Amazon opposed the measure, warning it could threaten thousands of delivery jobs and move distribution centers outside New York City.
In December 2024, when Amazon warehouse and delivery drivers went on strike, Mamdani supported them and demanded that the company “stop its illegal practices.”
On February 22, 2026, he also joined an Amazon Teamsters rally as drivers raised fears about job losses and working conditions.
Mamdani said he wanted to focus on “affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable,” according to an interview that same day. His wife, Rama Duwaji, will also skip the event to prioritize civic duties.
For Mamdani, attending a $100,000-per-ticket gala backed by Bezos would have clashed with the affordability message he has built his mayoralty around.
This was not Mamdani’s first clash with Bezos or Amazon.
For instance, on April 9, 2026, he backed the Delivery Protection Act, also known as Intro 518, a proposal that would force Amazon and other delivery companies to directly hire local delivery workers while meeting stronger pay, licensing, vehicle safety, and training standards.
Amazon opposed the measure, warning it could threaten thousands of delivery jobs and move distribution centers outside New York City.
In December 2024, when Amazon warehouse and delivery drivers went on strike, Mamdani supported them and demanded that the company “stop its illegal practices.”
On February 22, 2026, he also joined an Amazon Teamsters rally as drivers raised fears about job losses and working conditions.
10points
#3 Zendaya
Zendaya is also expected to miss the 2026 Met Gala, though her reported absence has not been directly tied to Bezos.
The actress has attended the gala seven times and served as a co-chair in 2024, making her one of the event’s most closely watched modern red carpet figures.
According to Elle, Zendaya is sitting this year out because she needs “a break from the spotlight” following press tours for The Drama and Season 3 of Euphoria, with The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day also on her promotional slate.
Her absence still became part of the broader conversation because it arrived as the Bezos backlash grew.
Law Roach, the stylist long associated with Zendaya’s image, confirmed to Elle that he would attend the event solo this year, marking a rare Met Gala where he would not be supporting her on the carpet.
The actress has attended the gala seven times and served as a co-chair in 2024, making her one of the event’s most closely watched modern red carpet figures.
According to Elle, Zendaya is sitting this year out because she needs “a break from the spotlight” following press tours for The Drama and Season 3 of Euphoria, with The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day also on her promotional slate.
Her absence still became part of the broader conversation because it arrived as the Bezos backlash grew.
Law Roach, the stylist long associated with Zendaya’s image, confirmed to Elle that he would attend the event solo this year, marking a rare Met Gala where he would not be supporting her on the carpet.
Report
8points
#4 Bella Hadid
Bella Hadid has not issued a formal statement saying she is boycotting the Met Gala, but her social media activity made her position hard to miss.
The model, who has attended the Met Gala five times, “liked” an Instagram post from influencer Meredith Lynch criticizing the idea of celebrities wearing “ICE OUT” protest pins to an event backed by Bezos.
“I love the ICE out pins but you can’t wear them to the Jeff Bezos-backed Met Gala!” the post read.
In the video, Lynch said she would be “dragging [stars] in perpetuity” for wearing pins to the red carpet because “Jeff Bezos is part of the reason we’re in this f**king mess.”
She continued: “Jeff Bezos supports this f**king mess… I know the funds from the Met Gala go to a good cause, but it is wild to me that this event is sponsored by Jeff Bezos, who has backed [President] Trump, who has slashed arts funding.”
Lynch then advised publicists to keep their clients away from the event.
Hadid’s representative did not respond to requests for comment. Still, her “like” was widely read as a subtle sign that she would not attend this year’s gala.
Page Six and Cosmopolitan both reported that Hadid is skipping the event, with the latter also noting that she has stayed away from the Met Gala since 2022.
The model, who has attended the Met Gala five times, “liked” an Instagram post from influencer Meredith Lynch criticizing the idea of celebrities wearing “ICE OUT” protest pins to an event backed by Bezos.
“I love the ICE out pins but you can’t wear them to the Jeff Bezos-backed Met Gala!” the post read.
In the video, Lynch said she would be “dragging [stars] in perpetuity” for wearing pins to the red carpet because “Jeff Bezos is part of the reason we’re in this f**king mess.”
She continued: “Jeff Bezos supports this f**king mess… I know the funds from the Met Gala go to a good cause, but it is wild to me that this event is sponsored by Jeff Bezos, who has backed [President] Trump, who has slashed arts funding.”
Lynch then advised publicists to keep their clients away from the event.
Hadid’s representative did not respond to requests for comment. Still, her “like” was widely read as a subtle sign that she would not attend this year’s gala.
Page Six and Cosmopolitan both reported that Hadid is skipping the event, with the latter also noting that she has stayed away from the Met Gala since 2022.
7points
#5 Taraji P. Henson
Taraji P. Henson publicly questioned why celebrities would attend the Bezos-backed gala at all.
The actress, who attended last year’s Met Gala, commented on the same Meredith Lynch Instagram video that Hadid liked.
“I am so confused by some people that are going. I am just like ‘WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!’” Henson wrote.
She also reposted an image to her Instagram Story calling attention to the wealth gap between Bezos and Amazon warehouse workers – where employees earn roughly $20–$23 per hour, or about $42,000–$48,000 annually, while Bezos’ net worth exceeds $200 billion.
The actress has publicly spoken against wealth gaps in the industry in the past.
For instance, in December 2023, Henson went viral for breaking down in tears about her Hollywood pay gap frustrations during an interview with Gayle King while promoting The Color Purple.
She said she was "tired of working so hard... [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost," explaining that after taxes, agent fees, and managers, even big paydays shrink dramatically — like netting just $40,000 from a $150,000 salary for her Oscar-nominated role in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
The actress, who attended last year’s Met Gala, commented on the same Meredith Lynch Instagram video that Hadid liked.
“I am so confused by some people that are going. I am just like ‘WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!’” Henson wrote.
She also reposted an image to her Instagram Story calling attention to the wealth gap between Bezos and Amazon warehouse workers – where employees earn roughly $20–$23 per hour, or about $42,000–$48,000 annually, while Bezos’ net worth exceeds $200 billion.
The actress has publicly spoken against wealth gaps in the industry in the past.
For instance, in December 2023, Henson went viral for breaking down in tears about her Hollywood pay gap frustrations during an interview with Gayle King while promoting The Color Purple.
She said she was "tired of working so hard... [and] getting paid a fraction of the cost," explaining that after taxes, agent fees, and managers, even big paydays shrink dramatically — like netting just $40,000 from a $150,000 salary for her Oscar-nominated role in the 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
6points