Met Gala 2026: Jeff Bezos sneaks in to avoid protesters as glitz, glamour and celebrity hit red carpet

Jeff Bezos’ face was plastered over New York City bus stops by a protest group that targeted the tech billionaire after he and wife Lauren Sanchez spent $US10 million sponsoring the Met Gala, buying them the titles of honorary co-chairs.

But his face was notably absent on the red carpet of the Metropolitan Museum’s famed steps, where the rich and/or famous sashay through in elaborate gowns for the hundreds of cameras disseminating the images around the world.

It’s the fashion industry’s most attention-grabbing event thanks to its intersection with celebrity and fame, the culmination of Conde Nast and Vogue grande dame Anna Wintour’s three decades-long stewardship.

The exclusive invitation list includes the hottest names and legacy stars in entertainment and fashion in any given year, which in 2026 included Rihanna, Teyana Taylor, Bad Bunny, Charli xcx, Doechii, Kate Moss, Hailey Bieber, Colman Domingo, Madonna, Cher and Margot Robbie.

So what to make of Bezos’ choice to skip the red carpet and sneak in through the back? Was he just doing what many significant others seemed to have done, leaving the spotlight to their partners, or was it a retreat?

The honorary co-chair position is not new, reserved for the moneyed classes who throw a sliver of their fortunes to sponsor the event, and is different to the actual co-chairs (Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Beyonce this year), celebrities who have been selected as ambassadors to present the event.

They don’t always front up for the cameras but previous honorary co-chairs, Blackstone chief executive Stephen Schwartzman and his wife Christine, were on the steps among the celebs in 2018, and he’s not famous outside of finance circles.

Whereas Bezos is someone everyone knows, a legitimate celebrity, for better or worse.

Sanchez, whose past 18 months have included the controversial Blue Horizon space flight as well as THAT multi-day wedding which took over Venice, also targeted by protestors, did make an early appearance on the red carpet in a Schiaparelli gown.

The furore over the Bezoses’ sponsorship of the Met Gala exposes an uncomfortable seam in the relationship between a publicly glamorous event that draws all the world’s attention on the first Monday in May, and the necessary philanthropy that keeps cultural institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum ticking along.

Nor are they the only controversial figures. The Met dropped former patrons the Sacklers’ name from its galleries after the pharmaceutical family was exposed as having knowingly covered up the addictive nature of its drugs, including OxyContin.

But the Bezoses happen to be the villains-de-jour, representatives of the tech industry’s flexible ethics at a time of rapid social change and wealth inequality brought on, in no small part, by Silicon Valley.

Protestors gathered just outside the Met Museum with signs that read “tax the rich”, “eat the rich” and “resistance red carpet” were not seen on cameras covering the glitz and the glamour but they’ve been making a lot of noise in the past week.

One stunt involved activists placing 500 small bottles of “urine” (water with food colouring) around the Met Museum. They have affixed on them stickers of Bezos’s face.

In an accompanying social media post from the activist group EveryoneHatesElon, the organisation said, “Jeff Bezos’ company Amazon is literally being sued for forcing workers to urinate in bottles.

“Amazon avoids millions in tax and Bezos is one of the world’s richest men. The Met Museum is taking the piss by having Jeff honoured as their Gala host”.

Over the weekend, an activist group also projected videos and slogans onto buildings near Bezos’ New York home. One of the lines was, “If you can buy the Met Gala, you can pay more taxes”.

A counter-event staged by New York City labour unions, Ball Without Billionaires, took place on the same day in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. Among the attendees were staff from Bezos businesses Amazon, Whole Foods and The Washington Post.

Wintour put on an unfazed visage on the red carpet, but as someone who understands the power of visual symbols all too well, she arrived with Sanchez, and when an interviewer asked her about the co-chairs, namechecking Kidman, Williams and Beyonce, Wintour specifically included Sanchez in her response.

“They’re women that have been fearless in their careers,” Wintour said.

“They’ve achieved so much, and they keep going. They go at a pace that’s unstoppable, and I’m so full of admiration for all of them. Also Lauren Sanchez, our honorary co-chair, because they’ve achieved so much already in their lives but they don’t stop.

“That’s very inspiring to women all over the world.”

New York City’s newly minted leader, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist, last month confirmed he would be skipping the Met Gala. He said he wanted to keep his focus on “affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable”.

Wintour did not specifically reference Mamdani, but it’s tempting to read her other comments on the red carpet as a rebuke to the mayor.

“What I think people love about tonight is not only is it great for fashion, and obviously a very important fundraiser for the Costume Institute.

“This is also incredibly important to the economic health of New York City itself. If you think about the hotels that we fill, and god knows how many hairdressers we give work to, and the drivers, it’s just a ripple effect.

“It’s not one night only. It’s a whole week of occasions. You have to remember how many tourists are watching the live stream and seeing you on the live stream and coming to New York City and to the Met.”

On Monday, Mamdani released a photo series aligning himself with New York City’s fashion workers, which included immigrant tailors, department store employees and two former Amazon workers.

Mark Zuckerberg was also said to be in attendance for the first time, and reportedly slipped in through the back just as Bezos did. According to Vanity Fair, tech companies OpenAI, Meta, Snap, Shopify as well as Amazon all bought tables, which go for $US350,000 each.

The protests and calls for boycotts didn’t seem to have an effect on the celebrities – certainly none have come out and said they didn’t attend in solidarity with the activist movements.

On the red carpet itself, it was business as usual. Fresh talent such as Heated Rivalry pair Connor Storrie and Hudson Williams made their debuts, wearing Yves Saint Laurent and Balenciaga respectively.

Colman Domingo killed, as he always does, in a harlequin outfit from Valentino – because who else could pull off harlequin if not Domingo. Film ingenues Odessa A’zion and Chase Infiniti confidently walked up the stairs while Madonna had seven women in coordinated outfits carry her train.

It was spectacle and this year’s theme – Costume Art – allowed for many loose interpretations.

Sabrina Carpenter wore a Dior creation that was stitched up from film stock – watch out for open flames – and Beyonce displayed her queenly status with an Olivier Rousteing bejewelled skeleton ensemble with a crown atop her head. She brought along husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy, who at 14 would normally be kept out. The family that serves together eats together.

Blake Lively, hours after the announcement that she and former colleague Justin Baldoni have settled their bruising lawsuits against each other over disputed acts during the production of It Ends With Us, were one of the later ones to arrive in a 2006 Versace gown.

Kidman, standing alongside her daughter Sunday Rose, said of her striking ruby Chanel column dress, “I wanted something red because I wanted to embrace the way in which red has been used through the years. I feel that it’s a strong symbol for love, for passionate love, for vitality, for power and for motherhood.”

Other Australians there included Troye Sivan, Elizabeth Debicki, Naomi Watts, Margot Robbie, Adut Akech, Hugh Jackman, Miranda Kerr, Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin.

And in a reflection of the shifting power centres of global culture, there was also a raft of KPop stars including Blackpink’s Lisa, Jisoo, Rose and Jennie as well as singers Ningning and Karina.

As the famous faces filtered inside into the actual Gala and the exhibition itself, away from prying eyes, where cameras and recordings are strictly forbidden, you have to wonder if there were any awkward encounters.

Did The Devil Wears Prada 2 cast – Anne Hathaway, Stanley Tucci and Emily Blunt – cut a wide swath away from the Bezoses given that some of the villains of the movie were clearly inspired by the Bezoses, while a character heavily coded as McKenzie Scott, Bezos’s ex-wife, swoops in to (mild spoiler) save the day.