Met Gala Sponsorship Draws Heat as NYC Mayor Stays Away

The Met Gala arrives in New York on Monday with a political fight threatening to crowd the red carpet. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos are serving as honorary co-chairs and major backers of the 2026 event, drawing criticism from activists who are urging a boycott. The annual benefit raises money for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but this year the guest list is sharing attention with the donor list.

Mamdani Breaks With Mayors

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, Rama Duwaji, are not expected to attend, ending a mayoral presence that has stretched across several administrations. Mamdani took office on January 1, 2026, after serving in the state Assembly and running as a democratic socialist focused on affordability. His absence gives the protest more political weight because City Hall is usually part of the gala’s civic theater.

The controversy comes as the Met prepares to open “Costume Art,” the exhibition linked to this year’s gala. The show pairs fashion with fine art and includes hundreds of works and garments, according to reporting on the museum’s plans. That cultural ambition is now colliding with a familiar New York question: who gets celebrated in a city where wealth, art and public power sit close together.

Amazon Founder Draws Fire

The backlash centers on Bezos’s role rather than the exhibition itself. Critics see the Amazon founder’s sponsorship as another sign that elite cultural institutions depend on billionaire money even as workers and renters face pressure across the city. The complaint is sharpened by Bezos’s public profile, Amazon’s scale and speculation about his influence in media and fashion circles.

For the fashion industry, the dispute is awkward because the Met Gala is both a fundraiser and a global branding machine. Designers, celebrities and media companies benefit from the event’s reach, while the museum benefits from the money and attention it brings. But the Bezos controversy shows how luxury culture can become vulnerable when its financing looks disconnected from the political mood outside the museum doors.

New York’s Affordability Lens

Mamdani’s decision fits the politics that brought him to City Hall. His administration has emphasized the cost of living, and skipping the gala lets him distance himself from an event associated with celebrity wealth and private access. That does not erase the Met’s civic importance, but it changes the optics: a mayor who campaigned on affordability is choosing not to be photographed inside one of the city’s most exclusive rooms.

The risk for the gala is not that the event collapses; its celebrity pull and institutional prestige remain strong. The larger uncertainty is whether the boycott call shapes who attends, how brands respond and whether the museum faces deeper scrutiny over future donors. Monday’s carpet will still deliver fashion, but this year it will also measure how much political pressure the city’s most glamorous fundraiser can absorb.