The Met Gala is set to happen tonight, sponsored by Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez, but this has caused huge backlash as protests start and huge names choose not to attend
It’s the first Monday in May, and that means the Met Gala is on its way. As always, a huge swathe of stars are set to descend on New York for the high fashion event, but this year, things will be very different.
Huge names have vowed to stay away and protests have been organised over sponsors Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s involvement.
For the first time in the Met Gala’s history, the lead sponsor are private individuals rather than a company. Amazon founder Jeff BExos and his wife Lauren Sanchez have reportedly put $10million (£7.37m). As such, they have been made honorary co-chairs of the event along with Beyonce, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour.
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Due to sponsorship, New York City has been covered in protest posters calling for people to “boycott” the event. The posters read: “Boycott the Bezos Met Ball: Brought to you by worker exploitation.” There are also others that highlight Amazon’s connection to ICE. One poster read: “There’s no dressing it up. Met Gala chair Jeff Bezos avoids tax, enables ICE, and backs Trump. Don’t let him get away with it.”
Bezos’ company has contracts with ICE and Amazon Web Services reportedly hosts data for Palantir, which provides software to help ICE track and identify immigrants.
A variety of organisations, including the Service Employees International Union, the Strategic Organising Centre and the Amazon Labour Union, are set to stage a ‘Ball Without Billionaires’ protest. During the demonstration, workers for Amazon, Uber and Starbucks will model clothes made by ethically minded designers.
This isn’t the first time an event involving Bezos and Sanchez has been met with protests. Their lavish Venice wedding in 2025 sparked the ‘No Space for Bezos’ protests in the Italian city, as Venice residents demanded the couple move their venue from the Scuola Grande della Misericordia in the city centre. Signs read: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.”
Their involvement in the Met Gala is said to come about due to Sanchez’s deep “passion for fashion”. Anna Wintour told CNN that Sanchez would be “a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event,” calling her “a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion.” Bezos has been an honorary chair before, as in 2012, Amazon was a lead sponsor of the gala, but the scale of his involvement this year is thought to be greater.
Bella Hadid has hit out at stars attending the Met Gala. Model Hadid has attended the glitzy event five times, but this year, the famously political star liked a post on Instagram where Meredith Lynch said “You cannot wear the ICE out pin to the Jeff Bezos backed Met Gala. Jeff Bezos is part of the reason we’re in this mess.”
Fans noticed Hadid liked the video, with many saying this seemed to confirm she would not be attending the Met Gala this year. One said: “Bella Hadid seemingly confirmed she won’t be attending this year’s met gala after liking an instagram reel calling out celebs who protest ice but still attend events tied to Jeff Bezos, who is reportedly highly involved this year.”
Actress Taraji P. Henson also agreed with the video, commenting: “I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”
New York City’s mayor Zohran Mamdani has chosen not to attend the event. He is the first of New York City’s mayors to not attend the Met Gala since 2002. Mamdani has said he is not going to the event to instead spend his time “making the most expensive city in the United States affordable”.
Zendaya is reportedly missing the event too, according to Elle, but Bezos is not thought to be the cause. She is instead said to be choosing to sit it out because of two back to back full on press runs for The Drama and Euphoria.
Meryl Streep was also rumoured to not be attending. A representative later confirmed to HELLO! : “Meryl has been invited to the Met Gala for many years but has never attended. While she appreciates Vogue, Anna, and her incredible imagination and stamina, it has never quite been her scene.”
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