Image courtesy of people.com
The 2026 Met Gala takes place on May 4. And among the celebrity glitz, glam, and posturizing, several celebrity mainstays are opting out of this year’s Met Gala.
Mainstay celebrities Meryl Streep, Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Sarah Jessica Parker, Lady Gaga, Timothée Chalamet, Bella Hadid, Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and several others are sitting this Met Gala out. The real question about this mass abandon is why?
Some Met Gala regulars are staying away from this year’s festivities due to other engagements. And in Timothée Chalamet case for the second season, the New York Knicks game at Madison Square Garden. Still, a lot of celebs have decided not to attend the 2026 Met Gala for other reasons, and some of the reasons have to do with Jeff Bezos chairing the Met Gala due to his $10 million donation.
Jeffrey Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez were named lead sponsors of the 2026 Met Gala in November of 2025, made possible by the Bezos’ funding. The backlash started in early 2026 with many fashion insiders accusing the Bezos’ trying to buy themselves into rarefied fashion spaces. This intense backlash caused Anna Wintour in defense of the decision, specifically saying that Lauren is “going to be a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event,” as reported in buzzfeed.com.
Image courtesy of pagesix.com
In March 2026 the Bezos’ were quietly named honorary co-chairs of the Met Gala causing more uproar from folks inside and outside of the fashion industry. Taraji Henson, who has attended the Met Gala three times commented on social media “I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani broke with tradition and is not attending the 2026 Met Gala. Mamdani said he wouldn’t attend the prestigious red-carpet event in order to focus on “affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable.”
Politicians have also jumped on the disapproval train with Senator Elizabeth Warren stating on X, “If Jeff Bezos can drop $10 million to sponsor the Met Gala, he can afford to pay his fair share in taxes.” Is this the beginning of the end? Hmm, only time will tell!!
William S. Gooch
Speak Your Mind