Zendaya has opted out of Monday’s Met Gala, an event sponsored by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez. The 29-year-old actress, typically a highlight at the New York fashion extravaganza, maintains a packed schedule with promotions for her recent projects, The Drama and Euphoria. Reports confirm her absence follows her striking appearance in a white Louis Vuitton suit at last year’s gala.
Zendaya recently took a brief respite from public appearances after attending Tom Holland’s Bero event in California.
Meryl Streep Declines Co-Chair Role
Meryl Streep, featured on the May 2026 Vogue cover with Anna Wintour to promote The Devil Wears Prada 2, reportedly turned down a co-chair position due to Bezos and Sánchez’s prominent roles as sponsors and honorary co-chairs. Representatives for Streep did not respond to requests for comment.
Growing Controversy Over Sponsors
All eyes focus on Bezos and Sánchez during the gala, known as fashion’s Oscars for its lavish displays. A fashion industry insider describes their involvement as “very hurtful and very disturbing,” noting it feels like “a real slap in the face to a lot of people.”
Backlash intensified since the November announcement, fueled by Bezos’s perceived ties to the Trump administration, including a $1 million contribution to the inauguration. Social media users have dubbed it the “Jeff Bezos Nazi Met Gala,” while anti-billionaire activists post boycott posters across New York subways and streets.
Internal tensions simmer among planners of the museum fundraiser. The insider highlights the fashion world’s liberal leanings: “The fashion industry and the people who work in it are by and large very liberal. Anna [Wintour] has always publicly supported Democratic candidates… even the politicians at the Met Gala have been overwhelmingly liberal.” Their sponsorship clashes with opposition to policies targeting DEI, Roe v. Wade, voter disenfranchisement, and immigration.
Bezoses’ History of Scrutiny
The couple faces ongoing criticism. Their June 2025 Venice wedding drew protests, and Sánchez’s April 2025 Blue Origin spaceflight with an all-female crew faced accusations of excess. Bezos, worth $259 billion, sponsored amid 2026 layoffs at the Washington Post and Amazon, affecting over 16,300 jobs.
Observers view the sponsorship— with $100,000 tickets and $350,000 tables—as a bid for acceptance in elite fashion circles. Recent sightings include cozy interactions with Wintour and Dior’s Jonathan Anderson at Paris Couture Week, plus Sánchez’s 2025 Vogue digital cover featuring her Dolce & Gabbana wedding dress.
The insider notes their honorary co-chair status signals Wintour’s endorsement: “The Met Gala is the most exclusive… invitation… so to have top billing… is absolutely an embrace.” Yet, amid global conflicts and economic struggles, it projects an image of unchecked wealth: “When we’re in the midst of a war and… people struggling… it’s not necessarily the image everyone wants to see.”
