Hailed as the best night in fashion, the Met Gala has long been one of the most sought after events for celebrities to attend – but with protests and snubs at this year’s gala, is it on the way out?
The Met Gala used to be the best night in fashion, but is it now on it’s way out? ‘Fashion’s Oscars’, as it has been known, usually creates a huge buzz as A-list celebs gather in the most elaborate and beautiful outfits for the charity event. While it’s certainly created a buzz this year, it is for all the wrong reasons.
Some fans watching the event have declared the Met Gala as “dead” and “decaying”. Rather than praising the clothes and the designers behind them, or the celebrities and their stylists’ genius, many have been wondering if the Met Gala has run it’s course, transforming from a charity event to a display of wealth that feels uncomfortable within the wider context of the world.
A lot of this is thanks to the protests, A-list snubs and boring outfits that have come out of the 2026 Met Gala. Here are all the signs that the Met Gala is over…
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All the A-list snubs
This year, it’s harder to work out which list is more star-studded – the one of those who went to the Met Gala or the one of those who didn’t? Among those snubbing the event was Timothee Chalamet, who opted to attend a Knicks game instead. Rather than be disappointed, fans praised him for his choice, feeling he was more relatable for having ditched the gala for basketball.
One said: “Timothee not going to the Met Gala to watch the game, want to be just like that guy.” Another said: “I respect Timothee Chalamet for skipping the Met Gala for the Knicks playoff game.” A third added: “Timothée Chalamet SKIPPED the Met Gala to watch the Knicks in Game 1. He’s one of us.”
Timothee wasn’t the only A-lister missing. Ariana Grande, Harry Styles, Olivia Rodrigo and Demi Lovato all missed the event, reportedly to focus on their upcoming tours and albums. Callum Turner, Dua Lipa and Sydney Sweeney also seemed to pick their own holidays over the gala as well, as the couple headed to Copenhagen and Euphoria star Sydney was in Australia. Sydney’s co-star Zendaya also sat out the gala after being the person to watch for years.
Meanwhile, Zohran Mamdani broke with years of tradition by being the first New York City mayor since 2002 to skip the Met Gala. He said he was focusing on making “the most expensive city in the United States affordable” instead.
Likewise, Bella Hadid, Taraji P. Henson, Lisa Ann Walter all skipped the event because of Jeff Bezos’ involvement. The Amazon founder and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, were the lead sponsor and honorary co-chairs. All three women seemed to avoid the event as they did not agree with attending in light of Bezos’ involvement with ICE.
The lead sponsors
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) into the event. As such, they were made honorary co-chairs of the event along with Beyonce, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour.
Many wondered if this was Bezos’ attempt to make the gala about him, and some felt it ruined the creative and charitable origins of the gala, since a lot of attention was focused on the billionaire.
Lisa Ann Walter, in particular, felt the gala’s acceptance of the Bezoses’ sponsorship went against it’s actual purpose. She said: “How did an event that’s supposed to celebrate creativity, artistry and fabulousness in all genders end up revolving around this Temu Lex Luthor, who profits off of pushing working people to their very brink?”
All the protests
Due to sponsorship, New York City was 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, staged a ‘Ball Without Billionaires’ protest. During the demonstration, workers for Amazon, Uber and Starbucks modelled clothes made by ethically minded designers.
This isn’t the first time there have been protests connected with the Met Gala. In 2024, dozens of pro-Palestine protesters wanted to disrupt the Met Gala but were stoped by the New York police and metal barricades. The same year, many criticised the gala and those attending for splashing the cash on the $75,000 tickets whilst the economic crisis and wars in Ukraine and Palestine raged on.
In particular, influencer Hayley Kalil (hayleyybaylee) received intense backlash after filming a video where she was at the Met Gala and quoted Marie Antoinette. She said: “Let them eat cake.”
Over the past few years, many have likened the gala to the Capitol in The Hunger Games and aristocratic circles in pre-revolution France. Some have argued the gala, despite being a fundraiser for the Met, is more a “shameful display of wealth”. One person said: “These people have so much money that they can throw some away on elaborate outfits that they’ll never wear again. To me it’s just disgusting.”
All the boring outfits
One critic wrote: “This MIGHT just be the worst dressed met gala we’ve ever seen… nobody on theme, everyone dressed in basic fits looking a mess, no creativity.”
A lot of fans were deeply concerned with how few people seemed to follow the theme, ‘Fashion Is Art’. Another said: “Met gala was such a flop this year and the theme was actually a gag but only like 20 people followed it.” A third said: “Met gala looks largely boring this year, why is everyone wearing either black or red or white?”
While many were hopeful that the emphasis on art might lead to a catwalk full of bright and eye-catching outfits, several dresses and suits fell flat. Margot Robbie turned up in a champagne coloured dress that was incredibly simple.
Likewise, though Nicole Kidman’s red sequinned dress, which had a feathered trim, was beautiful, it had little relevance to the theme and was closer to a red carpet outfit than a Met gala look. Ashley Graham also wore a beautiful dress, but the nude fabric had some wondering why she chose it for the Met Gala.
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