The Met Gala just wrapped up, and Joy Behar is calling out Jeff Bezos for what she says is a tone-deaf display of wealth. During The View’s May 5 broadcast, the co-host didn’t hold back, slamming the Amazon founder for co-chairing the lavish event while millions of Americans struggle to afford basic necessities like food and gas. “I think it’s kind of tacky to be celebrating with all your wealth and all that while this is happening in this country,” Behar said.
The timing of the gala couldn’t feel more out of touch. With inflation still squeezing household budgets and wages stagnant for many workers, the idea of dropping $100,000 on a single ticket to a star-studded fundraiser doesn’t sit well with many. According to Decider, Behar didn’t mince words: “There are people who can’t afford gas, who can’t afford food, they can’t afford bread.”
She also took aim at Amazon’s labor practices, demanding Bezos “pay your taxes” and “pay your employees.” Her frustration was palpable. “I love Amazon, pay your taxes, Bezos, and pay your employees,” she said, acknowledging the convenience of the service while criticizing its billionaire founder.
Bezos wasn’t the only target of her critique
Behar also pointed to broader economic issues, including the cost of ongoing wars and cuts to social services. “The country is spending nearly a billion dollars a day on the stupid war that Trump started, while they’re gutting health care and social services,” she said. The combination of military spending and corporate wealth flaunting, in her view, makes the Met Gala’s opulence feel even more jarring.
Whoopi Goldberg, Behar’s co-host, pushed back slightly, defending the celebrities who attended the gala. “It doesn’t mean that you don’t care that people are going hungry. Because a lot of those people do stuff for free. They go, and they give their time, they give their money. You don’t always know it’s them, but they’re doing it,” Goldberg said.
Still, she agreed with Behar’s broader point about Bezos. “I also like my Amazon and I want him to pay his people,” Goldberg said, adding that Amazon’s working conditions have been slipping. The segment ended with Goldberg delivering a sharp punchline: “They say the only thing you can depend on is death and taxes. How come they don’t depend on it?!”
This year’s Met Gala protests took a particularly creative turn
People reported that activists with the group Everyone Hates Elon left hundreds of bottles of fake urine around the Metropolitan Museum of Art last week, a direct jab at reports that Amazon warehouse workers have resorted to using bottles to avoid bathroom breaks. The group also projected messages like “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala” onto buildings across New York City, making sure the billionaire’s role in the event didn’t go unnoticed.
The protests didn’t stop there. On May 4, a coalition of unions and advocacy groups hosted a counter-event called the Ball Without Billionaires. Workers from Amazon, The Washington Post (which Bezos owns), and other companies walked a makeshift red carpet in outfits they described as more ethical than the high-fashion looks typically seen at the Met Gala.
The Met Gala itself is no stranger to controversy. The event, which raises millions for the museum’s Costume Institute, has long been a lightning rod for debates about wealth, privilege, and philanthropy.
In 2021, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made headlines when she wore a white dress with the words “tax the rich” emblazoned across it. That same year, social justice protesters were arrested outside the gala. More recently, TikTok’s sponsorship in 2024 sparked backlash over concerns about the platform’s ties to the Chinese government.
Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez, served as the gala’s main sponsors
The couple, who married in Italy last year, has become increasingly visible in fashion circles, with Sánchez taking on a prominent role in the Bezos Earth Fund. Anna Wintour, the longtime Vogue editor and Met Gala mastermind, defended Sánchez’s involvement, calling her a “great lover of costume and obviously of fashion.” Wintour also praised the couple’s “incredible generosity,” framing their sponsorship as a boon for the museum.
Max Hollein, the Met’s CEO, echoed that sentiment, insisting that the gala’s donors support the museum’s programs, not their own agendas. “This is not a show on Amazon. This is not a show on Lauren Sánchez’s dresses,” Hollein said. “One needs to be really clear that what our donors are supporting is the program of the Met, and the ideas of our curators, and the integrity of the institution.”
Still, the optics of billionaires bankrolling a $100,000-a-ticket event while workers protest outside are hard to ignore. For Behar and many others, the issue isn’t just about the Met Gala itself. It’s about the broader disconnect between the ultra-wealthy and the everyday struggles of working people.
Bezos, with his estimated net worth of over $200 billion, has faced criticism for years over Amazon’s labor practices, including reports of grueling working conditions in warehouses and low pay for many employees. While the company has raised wages in response to pressure, critics argue it’s not enough. Behar’s frustration reflects a growing sentiment that billionaires like Bezos should be doing more, not just for their employees, but for society as a whole.
The Met Gala’s defenders argue that the event is ultimately a fundraiser, and that the money raised goes toward supporting the arts and culture. But for protesters and critics, the gala symbolizes something far less noble: the unchecked power of the ultra-rich. As long as events like this continue to flaunt wealth in the face of economic hardship, the backlash isn’t going away.
(Featured images: Walt Disney Television and U.S. Air Force)
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