Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos’ involvement with the Met Gala in 2026 has led to protests in New York City.
Fresh off their star-studded wedding in Venice, Italy, the Amazon founder and his wife were announced as the primary sponsors of the 2026 Met Gala in November 2025. Met organizers confirmed in March 2026 that Jeff and Lauren will also serve as honorary cochairs for the Metropolitan Museum of Art fundraiser — following in the footsteps of LeBron James in 2025, as well as Beyoncé, Tom Ford, Salma Hayek and Caroline Kennedy in the past.
The announcement of Bezoses’ expanded involvement was made with very little fanfare as part of Vogue’s dress code for the Met Gala, where there was only a brief reference to the pair serving as “as honorary chairs.”
Vogue’s invitation to have the Bezoses intimately involved in this year’s Met Gala drew significant protests in New York City, with opponents mounting a guerrilla marketing campaign to put up “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala” posters across the city.
Keep scrolling to find out why people are upset over this year’s Met Gala and more.
Why Has Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez Bezos’ Met Gala 2026 Involvement Caused Controversy?Some of the complaints about the Bezoses’ involvement with the Met Gala 2026 have revolved around their influence over the fundraiser as primary sponsors and honorary cochairs. Amazon’s professional connections to President Donald Trump and his controversial administration have also ruffled feathers within the fashion industry and beyond.
In the weeks before the 2026 Met Gala, posters have been spotted all across New York City urging residents to boycott the event due to allegations of employee mistreatment at Amazon’s fulfillment centers and the tech giant’s alleged compliance with the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), according to the New York Times. (Amazon has denied any mistreatment of its workers.)
“The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation,” one poster read, while another suggested the Meta Gala 2026 was “brought to you by the firm that powers ICE.”
Forbes reported in January 2026 that U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE bought $140 million in cloud services from Amazon and Microsoft in 2025. Amazon has not responded to those figures.
Grassroots protests have been organized by the activist group Everyone Hates Elon, which has accused Bezos of “enabling ICE.” (The group is named after X and Tesla executive Elon Musk.)
The Bezoses’ involvement at the Met Gala has seemingly had local political implications. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani told Hell Gate in April that he would skip the Met Gala to focus on “affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable.”
“That’s what I’m looking to spend a lot of my time focused on,” he added.
Us Weekly has reached out to Met Gala 2026 organizer, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, for comment.
Has Jeff Bezos Been Involved in the Met Gala Before?Jeff Bezos previously served as an honorary cochair for the Met Gala in 2012. His involvement drew considerably less controversy at the time.
Subscribe to newsletters 
Anna Wintour, Condé Nast’s global chief content officer, leads the 2026 official cochairs, along with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams.
What Is the Met Gala 2026’s Theme?The theme for the Met Gala 2026 is “Costume Art” and the dress code requires attendees to follow the theme of “Fashion Is Art.” Guests are encouraged to showcase fashion as fine art.
When and Where Is the Met Gala 2026 Taking Place?The Met Gala 2026 will be held at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday, May 4.
