The Met Gala, fashion’s premier event, shifts focus this year from red-carpet glamour to controversy surrounding its lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez. As celebrities arrive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday, attention centers on the billionaire couple amid widespread industry backlash.

Insider Backlash Over Sponsorship

A fashion industry insider describes the Bezoses’ prominent roles as “very hurtful and very disturbing.” The source calls it “a real slap in the face to a lot of people,” highlighting concerns for the event’s prestige and the Costume Institute’s legacy.

Backlash intensified since the November announcement. Social media labels the gala the “Jeff Bezos Nazi Met Gala,” while anti-billionaire activists post boycott posters across New York City subways and streets. Internal dissent brews among planners, with the insider noting the fashion world’s predominantly liberal leanings.

“The fashion industry and the people who work in it are by and large very liberal,” the insider states. “Anna [Wintour] has always publicly supported Democratic candidates… To have a couple that aligns themselves with and contributed a million dollars to inaugurating a president who has sought to eviscerate DEI, dismantle Roe v. Wade, disenfranchise Black voters and crack down on immigration… rubs a lot of people the wrong way.”

Meryl Streep’s Rumored Withdrawal

Rumors swirl that Meryl Streep, featured on the May 2026 Vogue cover with Anna Wintour promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, declined a co-chair role due to the Bezoses’ involvement. At least one A-list star has exited related programming as a result.

Bezoses’ Push into Fashion Elite

Critics view the sponsorship as an attempt to infiltrate fashion’s exclusive circles. The couple, with Bezos’s $259 billion net worth, recently mingled with Wintour and Dior’s Jonathan Anderson at Paris Couture Week. A 2025 Vogue digital cover highlighted Sánchez’s Dolce & Gabbana wedding dress from their June 2025 Venice ceremony, which drew protests.

Their Blue Origin spaceflight in April 2025 with an all-female crew faced accusations of excess. Recent layoffs at the Washington Post and Amazon in early 2026 affected over 16,300 jobs, adding scrutiny.

Tickets cost $100,000 each, tables $350,000. The insider sees the co-chair roles as Wintour’s endorsement: “The Met Gala is the most exclusive… invitation… so to have top billing… is absolutely an embrace.” Yet, amid global conflicts and economic hardship, it raises ethical questions about wealth display.

Unusual Sponsorship and Economic Factors

Amy Odell, author of Anna: The Biography, notes individuals rarely lead sponsorships: “The Met Gala is not normally primarily sponsored by individual donors… For the leading sponsors to be two individuals is unusual. And they’re not popular.”

Odell attributes the choice to luxury brands’ post-pandemic slump: “Brands are not ponying up as much… Kering and LVMH [face challenges].” The insider agrees: “It’s much easier… with a luxury brand… But to reckon with… two individuals… during a time like now… questions the ethics of that kind of wealth.”

Wintour’s Evolving Role

Speculation ties changes to Wintour’s late 2025 shift from Vogue editorial director to focus on projects like the Met Gala, with Chloe Malle as Head of Editorial Content. Odell clarifies: “It’s not a step back… It would allow Anna to focus more on… the Met Gala.”

Malle, who profiled Sánchez positively in Vogue, maintains close ties. Critics call platforming the Bezoses “hypocritical,” contrasting last year’s Black dandy theme with current political alignments: “To have the 2025 Met Gala… groundbreaking… then a year later… a couple who publicly supports an administration… rolling back DEI… is so disrespectful.”

Odell contextualizes: “The sociopolitical landscape is really different… Billionaires are not well-liked… Income inequality is… a very political issue.” Sources describe Wintour’s affinity for power players as a consistent trait.