Met Gala 2026 protests: Why is Amazon founder Jeff ‌Bezos facing criticism even as wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos attends Metropolitan Museum of ​Art’s Costume Institute event?

Celebrities including singers Sam Smith and Doja Cat and actress Nicole Kidman made their entrances Monday at the Met Gala, the fashion world's most coveted invitation, as protesters bashed billionaire Amazon founder Jeff ‌Bezos' sponsorship ⁠of the ⁠event. His wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, was among the first celebrities to arrive at Monday’s event, an annual fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute that has become known for its extravagant fashion and high-profile guests.

The couple are among the event’s ​main sponsors with a donation reported ⁠by media ‌outlets at $10 million and were named honorary ​chairs, which ​led to calls for a boycott over wealth ⁠inequality and workers’ rights.

Outside the museum, protesters ​in colorful outfits held letters spelling out "tax the ​rich" and banners reading "resistance red carpet" and "eat the rich".


In the run-up to Monday, a campaign opposing the involvement of Bezos and his wife cropped up in New York's streets and subways, with some calling for a boycott of an event some see as a gross display of immense wealth.

Behind the campaign is a group founded in Britain called "Everyone Hates Elon" -- which, a spokesperson stressed, "targets other billionaires" beyond Elon Musk, the world's richest person.

Wintour said Monday that the couple had "shown with this event that they genuinely, genuinely care about giving back."

The Met Gala was first organized in 1948 and for decades was reserved for New York high society -- until Wintour transformed the party into a high-profile catwalk for the rich and famous in the 1990s.

The "Costume Art" exhibit, which opens on May 10 at the venerable museum in Manhattan, will seek to explore the "dressed body" in artworks across the centuries.

Stars expected to attend include Rihanna, Beyonce, Venus Williams and Kim Kardashian. Tickets cost $100,000 each but most celebrities attend as guests.

Among the early arrivals to pose for photographers were ‌internet personalities Emma Chamberlain, in a skin-tight dress with sleeves that hung to the floor, and ​La La ​Anthony, whose dress ⁠dripped with jewels.

This year’s dress code, "Fashion is Art" invited guests to treat the body as a canvas. French social media personality Lena ​Mahfouf wore a sculptured bodice shaped like two silver hands and a flowing skirt.

Another eye-catching moment was the arrival of actress Gwendoline Christie who donned a long red gown, feathered headpiece and lifelike mask.