Posters calling for a boycott of the Met Gala have proliferated these days in the streets of New York. The reason: that the sponsors of this edition, to be held on May 4, are Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, who are accused of boosting ICE or “labor exploitation” at Amazon.
Bezos, Amazon founder turned space travel entrepreneur, and his new wife will be the unusual sponsors of the party, which raises funds from other celebrities for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s (Met) Fashion Institute.
It is not uncommon for the event to have sponsors, but it is in a personal capacity. In the past, luxury fashion brands put money in, in the last decade tech companies such as Apple, Instagram and TikTok joined in, and now one of the richest men in the world is doing it.
Bezos’ contribution to the Met Gala is not known, but it is sure to make little dent in his $200 billion-plus fortune and is welcomed by the event’s organization, which faces high costs and in 2025 raised a record $31 million.
However, not everyone is happy with his landing at this event followed by millions of people on the Internet and so denounce some striking posters that have proliferated in recent weeks in the Big Apple calling to “boycott the Met Gala of the Bezos”.
One poster shows a can of tear gas on the red carpet with the caption “sponsored by the firm that powers ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement),” as they denounce Amazon’s funding of that agency. Another displays a bottle filled with alleged urine that alludes to “labor exploitation,” also in reference to the company.
Responsible for these posters, which can be downloaded online, is the British activist group Everybody Hates Elon (for Elon Musk), which according to a media release wants to “expose and shame” Bezos and also made such actions before his ostentatious wedding in Venice in 2025.
Bezos donates “the equivalent of the price of a cup of coffee in this world, and in return he gets to appear in Vogue and hang out with Beyoncé and Zendaya,” an unidentified activist told HellGateNY, questioning why he “avoids taxes” if he wants to “fund cultural institutions.”
Will there be a boycott at this year’s MET Gala despite the celebrities?
Under the theme ‘Fashion is Art’, dozens of stars from film, music and sports are expected to wear extravagant outfits for the Met Gala, including Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams, who are the chosen hosts for the event’s mastermind, Anna Wintour.
Wintour has been for decades the powerful director of Vogue and, although in 2025 she handed over the reins to Chloe Malle, she continues to work as an executive under the Condé Nast publishing umbrella, runs the Met Fashion Institute, which bears her name, and is the ultimate authority on the gala.
The theme ties in with the institute’s annual exhibition – also sponsored by the Bezos – which is called ‘Costume Art’ and will showcase some 400 objects, including garments and artwork, that explore the history of fashion in different body types, according to a statement.
The woman who inspired Miranda Priestley’s character in the film ‘Devil wears Prada’ personally chooses the guests, who pay an exclusive entrance fee of $75,000 per head or go hand in hand with brands that buy tables starting at $350,000, according to specialized media.
Confirmed celebrities such as Zoë Kravitz, Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Teyana Taylor, Adut Akech and Angela Bassett will arrive at the party across the red carpet lining the Met’s steps, pose for photographers and, if they’re in the mood, stop to talk to the media.
Although it is not known who will go until shortly before, the gala has been full of Latin stars in recent years, including Bad Bunny, Rosalia, Shakira, J Balvin, Maluma or Anitta, so the Spanish will probably sound inside the ‘guateque’, protected under seven keys.
Who has already refused to attend is the new mayor, the Socialist Democrat Zohran Mamdani, who joins the usual absences of his predecessors – they attended a couple of times in the last twelve years – arguing that his priority is to make the city more affordable.
Mamdani, who swept the elections with his proposal to raise taxes on the wealthy, will miss the opportunity to throw a dart at the center of the target, reported Agencia EFE, although a surprise is guaranteed on a night in which entertainment divas and millionaires will be seeking the limelight.
Find out more at ‘QueOnnda.com’.
