Bezos as Met Gala Honorary Chair Sparks Boycotts and Debate Over Fashion's Ties to Billionaire Power

Key facts

• Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are honorary chairs and main funders of the 2026 Met Gala.
• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will skip the gala, breaking a decades-long tradition of mayoral attendance.
• The gala raised a record US$31 million (NZ$52.5 million) in 2025.
• Tickets cost about $100,000 (£73,500) per person.
• The exhibition 'Costume Art' features 200 sculptures and artworks alongside 200 garments and accessories.
• British activist group Everyone Hates Elon raised £15,000 in a week to protest Bezos's involvement.
• The gala takes place on Monday, May 4, 2026 (Tuesday, May 5 NZ time).

A Gala Under Fire

The 2026 Met Gala, the crown jewel of the fashion calendar, arrives on Monday amid a storm of controversy over its billionaire benefactors. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, the event's honorary chairs and primary funders, have drawn sharp criticism from activists and politicians who see their involvement as a symbol of deepening inequality. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced he will break with tradition and skip the gala, citing his focus on affordability in the most expensive city in the United States. Protest groups, including the British activist organization Everyone Hates Elon, have papered parts of New York with posters decrying the Bezoses' role. One poster reads, 'The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation,' referencing long-standing allegations of labor violations at Amazon. The group raised £15,000 in a week and plans to demonstrate on the night.

The Bezos Factor and Condé Nast Speculation

The Bezoses' role as main funders has revived rumors that Amazon's founder may acquire Condé Nast, Vogue's parent company. Speculation last year suggested Bezos might buy the media giant as a wedding gift, though the couple missed the 2025 gala due to their starry Venice wedding. Lauren Sánchez Bezos appeared on Vogue's digital cover in a Dolce & Gabbana wedding gown. A spokesperson for Everyone Hates Elon said, 'I love celebrity culture and fashion as much as anyone, but [Bezos's involvement] makes Vogue seem irrelevant. Don't tell me Bezos has been involved because of his fashion sense?' The criticism underscores growing unease about the intertwining of tech billionaires, fashion, and power.

The Exhibition: 'Costume Art' and Body Diversity

The gala's theme, 'Fashion is Art,' takes its cue from the exhibition 'Costume Art,' curated by Andrew Bolton of the Met's Costume Institute. The show argues that fashion and art are intertwined, with 'bodies wearing clothes the common thread.' It pairs about 200 sculptures and artworks with 200 garments and accessories, organized into 13 thematic body types, including pregnant, ageing, disabled, and variations on nudity. Bolton said, 'The focus is on bodies marginalised in fashion, and ones that haven't been valorised in either fashion or western culture.' Highlights include a contorted corset by Michaela Stark paired with Niki de Saint Phalle's Nana and Serpent sculpture, and a late Roman Venus Pudica sculpture paired with a dress using strategically placed human hair by Dilara Findikoglu.

Dress Code and Predictions

The link between the dress code and what appears on the museum steps is often tangential. Bolton predicted, 'I'm sure there will be some nakedness. I also think we'll get a lot of goddess gowns. But I do worry people might take the theme literally and come as a painting. Or at least Andy Warhol's Campbell's soup can.' Cally Blackman, an associate lecturer of fashion history and theory at Central St Martins, hopes the theme will serve as a riposte to criticism about fashion's value. 'It is the most powerful form of non-verbal communication that exists, yet we're always fighting the battle [to prove its worth],' she said. Bolton agreed, noting that the new Condé Nast Galleries symbolize fashion's central place in the museum.

Fundraising and the Costume Institute's Needs

The Met Gala is the primary fundraiser for the Costume Institute, which houses over 33,000 objects spanning seven centuries. Last year, the gala raised a record US$31 million (NZ$52.5 million), dwarfing the New York Philharmonic's US$3.3 million from its 2025 opening gala. The funds support acquisitions, a reference library with over 800 periodicals and 1,500 designer files, a conservation lab, storage space, and salaries for 29 staff members. Max Hollein, the museum's director and CEO, defended the gala as part of 'the history of American philanthropy,' where people across the political spectrum support culture. 'Right now, maybe there's an added layer of scrutiny, an added layer of attention to that,' he said. 'But we will always be grateful for that support from various different sources.'

A Pre-Gala Bash and Celebrity Attendance

One day before the main event, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos hosted a glitzy pre-Met Gala bash, drawing celebrities including Australian icon Nicole Kidman, who is also a co-chair of the gala. The co-chairs include Beyoncé, Venus Williams, and Vogue's Anna Wintour, while Saint Laurent sponsors the exhibition catalogue. The guest list of about 450 includes Beyoncé with Blue Ivy and Jay-Z, Blake Lively attending the same day she settled a lawsuit with Justin Baldoni, and Aespa's Karina and Ningning making their Met Gala debut.

The Broader Implications for Fashion and Power

The controversy surrounding the 2026 Met Gala reflects a broader tension between fashion's aspirational glamour and the realities of wealth concentration. Andrew Bolton noted that recent progress in diversity on runways has eroded. 'I don't feel as if we're seeing as much diversity on the runway as you did [then],' he said. The gala's embrace of Jeff Bezos has caused a backlash, with many questioning whether the event has lost its cachet. As the gala proceeds, the juxtaposition of opulence and protest will be on full display. The evening serves as a reminder that fashion, for all its artistry, is inextricably linked to the power structures that fund it.

The bottom line

• Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are honorary chairs and main funders of the 2026 Met Gala, sparking boycotts and protests.
• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will skip the gala, breaking a decades-long tradition of mayoral attendance.
• The gala raised a record US$31 million in 2025, funding the Costume Institute's operations and acquisitions.
• The exhibition 'Costume Art' features 200 artworks paired with 200 garments, focusing on marginalized body types.
• Protests from groups like Everyone Hates Elon highlight concerns over worker exploitation and billionaire influence.
• The gala's theme 'Fashion is Art' aims to affirm fashion's cultural value amid criticism.