Celebrities such as tennis champ Serena Williams and her sister Venus Williams attended pre-Met Gala parties in New York City ahead of the NYC’s biggest fashion event, being held on Monday, May 4.
Serena wore a red sequin gown with a thigh high split. The 2026 Met Gala theme is “Costume Art,” while the dress code is “Fashion is Art.”
A-list celebrities, including Zendaya, will skip this year’s Met Gala in protest of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ participation as co-chair. Bezos dropped $10 million to sponsor the event.
Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos are honorary co-chairs for the 2026 Met Gala. Calls to boycott the Met Gala are growing as Hollywood elites criticize Bezos for his ties to the Trump administration and ICE.
NYC activists plastered posters near the New York Museum of Art urging people to “boycott the Bezos Met Gala”. Some posters read: “Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by the firm that powers ICE.”
i just want to remind everyone that the Met Gala’s lead sponsor this year is Amazon, which supports ICE & provides infrastructure that helps target & terrorize our neighbors & communities
Condé Nast & Vogue made Bezos a co-chair in Feb 2026—AFTER the murders of Alex Pretti,… https://t.co/r2bNcwxf3c
— Erin Overbey (@erinoverbey) May 3, 2026
Due to inflation, individual tickets to the Met Gala cost $100,000, up from last year’s cost of $75,000. Tables are selling for around $350,000. However, few celebrities actually pay for their own tickets.
A-listers pay nothing to attend the Met Gala. Corporations including OpenAI, Meta, and Snapchat will sponsor celebrities who can’t afford to attend. Meta/Facebook billionaire Mark Zuckerberg is rumored to be attending the Gala for the first time.
All the money in the world can’t buy you character, integrity or a tall body!#MetGala sponsored by the same aholes that sponsor the fascist US regime! #boycottMetGala #Bezos #Wintour pic.twitter.com/rYYir9GB6j
— Biggie (@HHManiac) May 4, 2026
The Hollywood Reporter blog claims many A-listers will skip tonight’s event in protest.
Kim Kardashian isn’t boycotting the Met Gala this year. She can’t afford to miss the exposure that comes with attending NYC’s biggest fashion event of the year.
Petite pop star Sabrina Carpenter leaves Anna Wintour’s star-studded pre-Met Gala dinner party in NYC.
Actress Zoe Kravitz made sure every photographer got a shot of her massive engagement ring. Zoe and pop singer Harry Styles are engaged to be married.
Singer Doja Cat stopped to sign autographs while shopping for cosmetics ahead of the 2026 Met Gala in NYC.
Kris Jenner denied reports that she spent $100,000 on botched plastic surgery. She was spotted at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez’s pre-Met Gala party in NYC.
Magic and Cookie Johnson’s son EJ Johnson will be in attendance at the 2026 Met Gala on Monday evening. Someone paid for his $100,000 ticket. EJ attended a star-studded pre-Met Gala party in NYC on May 3.
Lauren Sanchez was seen leaving her hotel on her way to Met Gala meetings in NYC. Lauren and Jeff Bezos contributed $10 million to the Met Gala in exchange for being name co-chairs of the event.
“Cosby Show” actress Phylicia Rashad was seen leaving an event ahead of the 2026 Met Gala in NYC.