Met Gala 2026 is going to be held tomorrow, May 4, 2026 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. The Met Gala is known for celebrating fashion for years, and is the main fundraiser event that funds The Metropolitan Museum of Art’ Costume Institute. While the event has been a success for years, and a highly anticipated event for years, Met Gala 2026, is facing boycott calls because of who it is sponsored by.
Met Gala 2026 is sponsored by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, who are also the honorary chairs of the event. The event is now facing backlash and boycott calls, as for the first time, the event is highlighting billionaire figures instead of brands.
Met Gala 2026 Bezos Boycott explained
The Met Gala is known for the way it celebrates fashion, brands, designers, and art. Over the years, brands like Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Chanel, and Karl Lagerfeld, among others have funded the event, but this year, the lead sponsors are Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. This news was announced back in February 2026, along with the news that Anna Wintour, Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams are the Co-chairs of Met Gala 2026. The theme for Met Gala 2026, is Costume Art.
The reason the event has been facing heavy backlash is because an already opulent event is now associated with a billionaire, one who isn’t necessarily a fashion figure. In recent times, there has been serious conversations regarding how ethical millionaires and billionaires are, and with Jeff Bezos sponsoring an event about fashion, it raises concerns about how artistic industries are engaging with corporates and wealth.
As FirstPost reported, this backlash and boycott calls are also because of Bezos’ now improved relationship with the U.S. President Donald Trump. This improvement is primarily because Bezos thinks the Trump administration and their work can be beneficial to his company Amazon. Bezos’ company has been facing accusations of not having appropriate working conditions for its employees, and for supporting ICE efforts in the country. These were reflected in the campaign boycotting the event.
All over New York City, ahead of Met Gala 2026, posters have been put up, calling for the boycott of the event. As First Post reports, one poster reads:
“The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation,”
while another says,
“brought to you by the firm that powers ICE,”
The campaign has been conducted by Everyone Hates Elon, a group of activists. The boycott and backlash is primarily due to the increased presence of billionaires in public spaces, which then again reflects how much power money can buy one. This boycott has now raised concerns regarding who wants to attend, and who doesn’t, since one’s appearance may and most probably will be seen as support for the event.
Zendaya has reportedly chosen not to attend Met Gala 2026, but her team hasn’t stated the Bezos sponsorship as the reason. Meryl Streep isn’t attending either, but that is hardly news se the actress has never attended the event due to her personal reasons and not out of dislike or contempt of anyone. Anna Wintour, co-chair of the event, has however publicly stated she’s happy about the Bezos sponsorship. Speaking about Lauren Lauren Sánchez Bezos, Wintour said to CNN,
“She’s a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion, so we’re thrilled she’s part of the night,”
and expressed gratitude over the Bezos’
“incredible generosity.”
Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City, isn’t attending the event, as opposed to his predecessors, who had. As First Post reported, Mamdani stated his reason behind not attending as:
“My focus is also on affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable, and that’s what I’m looking to spend a lot of my time focused on.”
Thus, all eyes will be on the Met Gala 2026 red carpet tomorrow, not just for the looks and the outfits, but to also see who attends and who doesn’t.
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Edited by Mudeet Arora