Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber and Beyoncé were among the A-listers who hit the red carpet at Monday night’s Met Gala – but the annual fundraiser was somewhat overshadowed by controversy this year, as numerous big names skipped the event amid criticism of its co-chairs.
Overseen by former Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who now serves as global chief content officer for publisher Condé Nast, the gala raises millions of dollars for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
But in a highly-controversial move, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez-Bezos this year paid a rumoured $10 million to sponsor and co-host the prestigious evening.
One of the organisers, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Independent that Bezos was using the event to “launder his image”, adding: “He’s sipping champagne, while his actions are affecting people all over the world. He’s buying favour, quite literally.”
The couple’s involvement led to protests ahead of the big night and at various locations near the venue, posters popped up with the words: “Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by the firm that powers ICE” and “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala.”
Amazon workers then staged their own ‘Ball without Billionaires’ in New York on Monday afternoon, while another activist group placed nearly 300 miniature bottles of fake urine throughout the Met museum in reference to multiple employees at Amazon claiming they don’t get bathroom breaks.
Nevertheless, the show went on, with this year’s theme as “Costume Art” and the dress code “Fashion Is Art”.
On the night, even appearances from the Kardashian-Jenner clan and Beyoncé’s daughter Blue Ivy making her debut at the so-called “Oscars of the fashion world” couldn’t distract from the absent stars, as the likes of Zendaya, Meryl Streep and Timothée Chalamet snubbed the event.
And while many maintained a diplomatic silence on their absence (reports emerged last week citing Zendaya’s back-to-back press tours for The Drama and Euphoria season three as the reason for her absence), some were more vocal about their decisions.
In a video posted on Instagram over the weekend, comedian and podcaster Meredith Lynch called out celebrities planning to wear “ICE out” badges to the Met Gala, referencing the fact the Amazon boss supported Donald Trump in the run-up to his second term as US president.
“Jeff Bezos is part of the reason we’re in this f***ing mess,” she said. “It is wild to me that this event is sponsored by Jeff Bezos, who has backed Trump, who has slashed arts funding.”
Lynch’s rallying cry won support from Empire actor Taraji P. Henson, who commented: “I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”
