The Met Gala has faced backlash for appearing as ‘tone deaf’ in the wake of billionaire Jeff Bezos’ involvement in the event.
Taraji P. Henson called out celebrities for attending this year’s event declaring: ‘WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!’, while presenter Meghan McCain slammed it as ‘creepy’.
Fast and the Furious star Nathalie Kelly also claimed that the A-list charity event was ‘dystopian’ and ‘elitist’.
The fashion event of the year was met with criticism for embracing Amazon founder Bezos, who, alongside his wife Lauren Sanchez, was named as an honorary chair.
The billionaire’s role was officially announced months in advance by Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with his involvement reportedly including major funding contributions and a prominent position at the high-profile charity event.
Meryl Streep, Zendaya, and Bella Hadid were just some of the names who decided not to attend the event held in New York City on Sunday.
Among many tone deaf moments at the event, actress Sarah Paulson was slammed after taking to the red carpet sporting a one dollar bill as a mask.
Paulson, 51, revealed that the name of her Met Gala look was ‘the one percent,’ an apparent jab at the ultra wealthy, but fans were left less than impressed by the outfit.
X user @begley_p60167 wrote: ‘Critique of extreme wealth inequality and elite power structures at the Met Gala. Sponsored by Bezos.’
What was the theme for the Met Gala 2026?
This year’s theme was Costume Art, named after the museum’s new exhibition
The specific dress code for the gala was Fashion Is Art, with guests encouraged to explore fashion as an art form and to reflect on art history.
Another added: ‘Bold choice to wear this to a gala chaired by one of the richest men on earth.’
Meanwhile, Katy Perry made her Met Gala comeback after three years — and she did it completely incognito by wearing an incredibly robot-esque mask.
According to Vanity Fair, a reporter called out, ‘Katy is this look AI? Are you really here?’ And she shut the mask closed.
TikTok user @music8779200 wrote: ‘Katy Perry reminding everyone that she went to space thanks to Bezos!’
Blake Lively, who attended the event just hours after reaching a last-minute settlement with Justin Baldoni before their trial, reportedly wasn’t among the list of names expected to attend the gala, but appeared on Vogue’s live stream from the red carpet.
She told the publication that each of her four children contributed a watercolour painting for her designer handbag, which she called a ‘little comfort’.
@luffylyness penned: ‘It’s amazing that after all this she continues to find new ways to be incredibly tone deaf.’
@reshmasookha added: ‘I get that it’s a fundraiser of sorts, but this opulence is sick and tone deaf.’
Following the star-studded event, the Empire actress Taraji P. Henson took aim at celebrities who did attend, with the likes of Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Blake Lively taking to the red carpet.
Henson, 55, co-signed a social media post from Meredith Lynch titled ‘a warning for celebs,’ in which she cautioned those attending to not wear ICE Out pins given that Bezos is ‘part of the reason we’re in this f*****g mess.’
Lynch added it’s ‘wild to me that this event is sponsored by Jeff Bezos, who has backed Trump, who has slashed arts funding.’
Sharing her thoughts on the event, Henson commented in response, alongside clapping emojis: ‘I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!’
The Oscar nominated actress then shared a photo from EU reproductive rights organization My Voice My Choice that juxtaposed Bezos’ $500 million superyacht with Amazon workers in a warehouse. She captioned the Instagram Story with: ‘Enjoy the MET 😒.’
Henson regularly attends the event, which this year interpreted its 2026 theme as Fashion is Art.
Activist groups staged a number of protests across New York, including actions targeting the gala’s high-profile sponsors and billionaire backers.
The backlash gained further visibility in April when newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would not attend, citing a focus on affordability rather than high-profile fundraising events.
In the lead-up to the gala, criticism spilled out across the city, from social media to subway stations, where the event has been mockingly dubbed the ‘Amazon Prime Gala’ and ‘Bezos Ball’.
Activist group Everyone Hates Elon was among those leading calls for a boycott, staging a series of attention-grabbing protests across New York.
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