What Are Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's Roles at the Met Gala 2026? Inside the Couple's Controversial Involvement

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez's involvement in the upcoming Met Gala 2026 has fueled public backlash.

In November 2025, OK! learned the couple — who married in a lavish wedding in Venice in June 2025 — would be financing the Met Gala 2026. According to The Daily Beast, they also reportedly have a say in which A-listers would receive coveted invitations.

Then, in March, the Met organizers named both Bezos and Sánchez as honorary co-chairs for the Metropolitan Museum of Art fundraiser. Page Six reported they paid at least $10 million to co-host the event.

"It has been such a fun and meaningful experience," Sánchez said during an appearance on Today. "When Anna [Wintour] called me and said, 'Do you want to co-chair and also be the sponsors of the Met?' I was so honored."

She also expressed how excited she was after learning about the event's "Costume Art" theme and "Fashion Is Art" dress code.

The Black Ops Aviation co-founder continued, "She told me the theme — fashion is art. These designers are true artists. Elsa Schiaparelli was best friends with Salvador Dalí, and his medium was a canvas, and hers was clothing… "It's going to be incredible to see what everyone wears and to be able to really honor all these designers. I cannot wait."

Also reflecting on the theme, curator Andrew Bolton shared in a press release, "I wanted to focus on the centrality of the dressed body within the museum, connecting artistic representations of the body with fashion as an embodied art form. Rather than prioritizing fashion's visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, 'Costume Art' privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear."

With Bezos and Sánchez backing the Met Gala 2026, critics began questioning the essence of the star-studded fashion event.

"I'm heartbroken," a fashion insider told Page Six. "It's being able to buy yourself into [the good graces of] Anna and the Met."

"Boycott the Bezos Met Gala" posters have also appeared across New York City ahead of the May gala. According to The New York Times, an activist group has been urging residents to boycott the event amid Amazon labor and tax controversies and Bezos' ties to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Similar backlash flooded X, adding fuel to recurring criticism surrounding the billionaire couple.

One shared, "maybe im too woke but i really hate met gala and knowing jeff bezos and his wife are sponsoring this years edition only makes me want to die i hate billionaires and their stupidity extravagant lifestyle so much."

"Just found out Jeff Bezos is sponsoring the Met Gala. I better not see anyone reposting anything from that event," a second wrote.

"Gross. Disgusting. I hope that many boycott the event this year, if they have any conscience. #ForShameAnnaWintour Bezos + his tacky wife should be pariahs, instead they are celebrated," a third reacted to the news about Bezos and Sánchez being the honorary chairs.

In addition to Bezos and Sánchez, the Met Gala 2026 co-chairs include Wintour, Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams.

The Met Gala 2026 will take place at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4.