Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs for the 2026 gala, helped fund the “Costume Art” exhibition that gives this year’s gala its theme.
Their involvement has incited protest from activist groups, in part over their perceived support of the Trump administration.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez in Venice on June 26, 2025. Luca Bruno / AP
An anti-billionaire group called Everyone Hates Elon has been putting up ads around New York City accusing Bezos of things like “enabling ICE,” “avoiding tax” and “exploiting workers.”
“Tonight’s Met Gala will be brought to you by the taxes Jeff Bezos didn’t pay. By worker exploitation. By contracts with ICE and the IDF,” the group’s organizer told NBC News. “Shame on every A-lister that attends — there can be no red carpet for Trump’s billionaires.”
Over the past few days, the group has put up posters, placed parody merch protesting Bezos in the museum’s gift shops, and set up a parody toilet station inviting Met Gala guests to urinate in bottles (a nod to reports that Amazon workers have had to do so on the job).
When asked about the protest campaign, a spokesperson for Amazon told NBC News that “Amazon employees are free to use the restroom whenever they need.”
Bezos has also been linked to the gala before. In 2012, Amazon sponsored the event and he served as honorary chair.
In an interview with “TODAY” in March, Sánchez Bezos said that Wintour approached the couple to sponsor the exhibition this year. The tech billionaire’s wife was featured on the Vogue cover after their June 2025 wedding.
The Bezoses also hosted a pre-Met Gala party over the weekend, which drew celebrities including Kendall Jenner, Serena Williams, Law Roach, Lisa Rinna and others.
When asked by CNN in November about the couple’s involvement, Wintour described Sánchez Bezos as a “wonderful asset to the museum and the event.”
“We’re very grateful for her incredible generosity,” Wintour told CNN, “so we’re thrilled she’s part of the night.”
