Taraji P. Henson has publicly called out celebrities for attending the 2026 Met Gala, which had Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos as lead sponsors and honorary chairs.
On May 2, she commented on an Instagram post shared by writer Meredith Lynch, who warned attendees against wearing “ICE OUT” pins at the Jeff Bezos-backed event. Henson wrote:
“I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING.”
Henson also reportedly shared related content on her Instagram story highlighting wealth disparities between Jeff Bezos and Amazon workers. She reshared a post that contrasted Bezos’s reported $500 million superyacht with Amazon warehouse workers facing “precarious conditions, low wages and high injury rates.” The caption of her post read “Enjoy the MET.”
Henson skipped the 2026 Met Gala despite being a regular attendee in recent years, including her 2025 appearance at the gala event.
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Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Met Gala sponsorship causes backlash
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Met Gala sponsorship of the 2026 Met Gala has generated a huge backlash. They were announced as lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs of the May 4, 2026 event. The theme of the event was “Fashion is Art” and “Costume Art.”
The criticism stems from labor inequality and Amazon’s labor practices with protests framing it as “Bezos Met Gala.” Activists have displayed posters reading “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala,” “The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to You by the Company that Powers ICE.”
April Verrett, president of the Service Employees International Union told The Hollywood Reporter:
“Culture does not come from boardrooms. It does not come from those who profit and exploit our labor. Culture comes from the people who are on this ground.”
She added:
“It comes from the working-class meatpackers who gave this place its name. It comes from our LGBTQIA+ siblings who created communities. Culture comes from the creators and the designers who keep this place vibrant. It comes from the hands that stitch the garments. It comes from the workers who move the packages, from the caregivers who hold communities together, from the people who make every little thing love.”
Some politicians like New York City Mayor, Zohar Mamdani publicly skipped the Met Gala event. Celebrity figures like Taraji Henson, Bella Hadid and Mark Ruffalo have also signaled opposition with their critical content. Henson’s latest remarks against Jeff Bezos has brought the backlash once again in the spotlight. She has attended the Met Gala in the previous years but chose to skip this time, amid the controversy.
Besides Henson several celebrities decided to skip the Met Gala event this year including Zendaya, Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Demi Lovato, and Nick Jonas with Priyanka Chopra.
Reports say that Grande skipped the event due to tour preparations for the Eternal SunshineTour that kicks off in June. Styles reportedly missed the event due to busy schedules as he will kick off his Together, Together tour in May. Although his fiancée, Zoë Kravitz attended the event.
Lovato reportedly skipped for the second year in a row due to tour commitments. Nick Jonas, Priyanka and Zendaya reportedly skipped the event due to their professional commitments.
Edited by Aastha Dass