Met Gala 2026: Taraji P. Henson opts out of Met Gala, questions silence on ‘ICE out’ pins

Taraji P. Henson who has been a regular at the carpet of the Met Gala has opted out of this year’s attendee list and the reason seems to be the additional co-chairing of Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. The actress endorsing an influencer’s video commented on how confused she was to why celebs are attending the event when they can’t wear the 'ICE out' pins which has been a subtle protest for years at events like these.

Met Gala 2026: Taraji P. Henson calls out celebs attending Jeff Bezos-backed event

Celebrities have long used red carpets, from the Met Gala to the Grammys, as subtle sites of protest, with accessories like 'ICE Out' pins calling out policies linked to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But this year, that symbolism feels more complicated. With Jeff Bezos stepping in as an honorary co-chair and major sponsor, the optics of protest within the same space have come under scrutiny. Such gestures seems to be appearing as contradictory and unappealing. This was the very reason for the actress to opt out of the event.

Taraji ahead of the event had also endorsed a video by an influencer Meredith Lynch who called out the celebs and warned about the ‘ICE out’ pins. The video captioned, “A warning for celebs”, had some serious accusations against the celebs. The influencer said in the video, “You cannot wear the ICE OUT pin to the Jeff Bezos-backed Met Gala.” Blaming the Amazon CEO, she added that he is “part of the reason we’re in this f–king mess.”   

Taraji, supporting the statements made in the video, commented, “I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”

Supermodel Bella Hadid, daughter of immigrant parents, too showed her support by liking the video.

Among the biggest names, Zendaya too skipped the Met Gala and her stylist Law Roach confirmed his attendance without his client.

Ahead of the event, Meryl Streep set off online chatters as well after reportedly turning down an offer to serve as the co-chair. The buzz only intensified given her renewed spotlight for reprising her iconic, Miranda Priestly role in The Devil Wears Prada 2, a character long seen as a fictional nod to Anna Wintour.

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