Fashion meets friction: Here’s how Met Gala 2026 is facing unprecedented backlash

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute faces its most troubled fundraiser ever, as the annual Met Gala is set to begin on May 4. Although the theme of the Gala to take place in 2026 is called ‘Costume Art’ in honor of the unveiling of the Condé M. Nast Galleries, there has been an uproar among the general public due to the boycotts of the main sponsors of the Gala event — Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos.

Why are so many celebrities skipping Met Gala this year?

This year is going to see a major shift from previous years as the event will have honorary chairs and major funding from the billionaire couple instead of luxury brands. Consequently, activist organisations, such as Everyone Hates Elon, launched a full-fledged campaign against Amazon for its exploitation of employees and cooperation with border patrol, plastering posters around the city and even hacking into their subway advertising. The organisation was quoted criticising the event as irrelevant to fashion, as Jeff Bezos was involved.

The disagreement even affects the guest list. The Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has ended decades of tradition by announcing that he will not attend the red carpet ceremony, claiming that he would rather prioritise his efforts toward making the city affordable than spend his time at the event, which costs $100,000 for each guest. It has been alleged that even the elite of Hollywood is moving away from the event, with Zendaya skipping her attendance and Meryl Streep refusing to act as a co-chair.

However, in spite of all the criticism, Andrew Bolton, the exhibition curator, does not lose sight of its quality. Andrew has curated the exhibition with an eye towards presenting fashion from an artistic perspective, exhibiting 200 dresses along with sculptures that emphasise marginalised body shapes. Still, as tickets remain unsold, and protests grow louder, the exhibition’s reputation as a crowning achievement of creativity faces a tough test against the money from Silicon Valley.

For more updates, join/follow our WhatsApp, Telegram and YouTube channels.