Met Gala turns into a night of protest and boycott calls as Jeff Bezos’ $10m sponsorship draws heat

The Met Gala is the biggest night in fashion. On the morning after, the discussion is dominated by debates between fashion enthusiasts on whose outfit captured the theme and which star missed the mark. However, this year’s edition was dominated by none other than billionaire businessman Jeff Bezos.

To be fair, there was still the normal fanfare expected of the Met Gala. Dwayne Johnson showed up in a skirt, which caused controversy in some corners of the internet. Beyoncé brought along her daughter and husband, which also had some tongues wagging. But quickly the story shifted to who was not there: Lady Gaga, Zendaya, Bella Hadid, and even Meryl Streep.

They all explained their absences with tailor-made public relations statements that cited prior commitments. But fans were quick to point out that figures like Streep had just appeared in The Devil Wears Prada 2, which in part critiques billionaires using their vast amounts of wealth to insert themselves into cultural events such as the Met.

New York’s mayor would also be expected to attend, but Zohran Mamdani and his wife Rama Duwaji stayed far, far away from this billionaire love-in.

Bezos kills the vibe

According to AOL, Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez donated $10 million — and in exchange, the newlywed couple was minted as honorary chairs at the prestigious event. Almost immediately after the announcement, the criticism and protests started pouring in.

A British protest group named Everyone Hates Elon pointed out that this year’s Met Gala was yet another “glorification of wealth” at a time of widening economic inequality. The group was also behind the Venice wedding protest against Bezos, where they urged the billionaire to pay his fair share of taxes. This time around, they projected onto the Empire State Building, asking celebrities to boycott the Bezos Met Gala.

Abbott Elementary star Lisa Ann Walter claimed Amazon is trying to “invade” every facet of society. Academy Award-nominated actor Taraji P. Henson called out her fellow celebrities who still attended the event and said she is “confused” by what exactly they stand for.

‘Confused’ Taraji P. Henson calls out celebs attending Bezos-backed Met Gala 2026: ‘WTF are we doing’ https://t.co/oH7988dZg6 pic.twitter.com/RFjcJAW7tf

— Page Six (@PageSix) May 4, 2026

Ultimately, with celebrities, they will always disappoint some people in the public. There is usually so much at stake when it comes to crafting their public persona. A walk up those Met Gala steps could mean finally having a conversation with a studio head that could give them a shot at being the next Marvel superhero.

Perhaps they also need the money and are being paid by a fashion house to attend? We can truly never know, from the outside looking in, what is required to break through in that industry.

All that is certain is that for the celebrities who did attend the Bezos Gala, the next time they want to use their voice to speak up for the common man, they will remember this night.