Met Gala 2026 faces boycott calls over Jeff Bezos' involvement

Activists are urging a boycott of Met Gala 2026 over Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos' involvement. The backlash has pushed the fundraiser into a wider debate over wealth, power and protest in fashion.

In Short

• Protesters are putting up posters across New York City urging a boycott of Met Gala
• Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are lead sponsors and honorary chairs
• A protest group raised about $13,000 to mobilise activists on ground

The countdown to Met Gala 2026, dubbed as fashion's biggest night, is officially underway. But beyond the couture and cameras, it has increasingly become a site of visible dissent. A group of activists is urging people to boycott this year’s Met Gala, raising concerns over Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos’ involvement.

The couple is the lead sponsors of this year’s glamorous fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Institute, New York. Further, they will be taking on the role of honorary chairs for the event as well as the exhibition.

Met Gala boycott

Since the gala announced its high-profile association with one of the world’s richest men, it has drawn scrutiny over his perceived association with the Trump government. A former critic, Bezos reportedly took a “personal interest” in US First Lady Melania Trump’s documentary, helping him get back on friendly terms with President Donald Trump.

As the event inches closer, several posters calling out 'Bezos Met Gala' have been plastered around the museum, and across the city. Pictures also made it to social media, calling out the sponsorship.

One such poster read, “The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation,” referencing long-standing allegations around labour conditions at Amazon warehouses. Another poster takes aim at immigration issues, featuring a tear gas canister on a red carpet, an image meant to hint at concerns around Amazon’s alleged links and technological ties with the US Department of Homeland Security, as per The Independent.

Behind the campaign is an activist collective called 'Everyone Hates Elon', which positions itself as anti-billionaire. As reported by The New York Times, the group recently launched a donation drive, raising around £10,000 or $13,000 (approximately 12,29,718), which it used to mobilise activists on the ground in New York.

Amy Odell, author of Anna: A Biography, and a journalist shared a video of the group stating that, "The group @everyonehateselon told me they’re determined to embarrass Jeff Bezos at the Met Gala and their efforts haven’t stopped yet."

The same group had earlier crashed the vibe at Bezos and Sanchez’s Venice wedding too, unfurling a banner that read, “If you can rent Venice for your wedding, you can pay more tax.”

Addressing the criticism in an interview with CNN, Anna Wintour, who has chaired the event for nearly three decades, described Sanchez as a “great lover of costume and, obviously, of fashion.” Calling her a “wonderful asset to the museum and the event,” Wintour added, “We’re very grateful for her incredible generosity so we’re thrilled she’s part of the night.”

And well, the protest isn’t just playing out on the streets.

Mamdani to skip Met Gala?

As per tradition, the New York mayor attends the high-profile night of fashion and art as a way to support the museum. But word on Mamdani’s city streets is that he might skip it.

According to an exclusive report by Page Six, the mayor is not going to attend, and if that holds true, it will mark a notable departure from the long-standing tradition of city leaders attending the event. “He’s not coming... And it would be foolish if he did, can you imagine? It goes against everything he believes in."

On the other hand, the former editor-in-chief of Vogue also hailed the first lady of New York’s style. During an interview with Meryl Streep in Vogue, Wintour said, “I’m full of admiration for New York City’s new first lady because she looks so cool and wears a lot of vintage, young and modern and also entirely herself.”

Well, Duwaji is very much a Gen Z fashion icon in her own right, and seeing her spin on the Met Gala red carpet would be a moment. But will she show up with her mayor husband? We’ll just have to wait until May 4 (May 5 in India) to find out.

Because is fashion political?

This is not the first time there has been controversy surrounding the opulent event. Given the scale of its global spotlight, the event has, over the years, become a magnet for protest movements.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside the venue in both 2024 and 2025, while climate activists staged protests in 2023 calling for urgent environmental action.

Fashion is expression, art, and identity. And expression, as we know it, is often political. Remember the age-old debate: “the personal is political”?

- Ends