Taraji P. Henson is among the celebrities skipping tonight’s Met Gala Costume Ball in New York City. Taraji made an appearance last year at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. She also attended in 2015 and 2021.
But she won’t be in attendance this year. The “Empire” actress is “confused” by celebrities who are attending this year’s event.
Taraji responded to a viral post by Meredith Lynch, who wrote on Instagram: “If you are a celebrity and you attend the Met Gala and you wear the ICE OUT pin, please note that I will be dragging you in perpetuity. You cannot wear the ICE OUT pin to the Jeff Bezos-backed Met Gala.” She blamed Bezos for being “part of the reason we’re in this f–king mess.”
Taraji responded in the comments: “I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”
Some of the people who are going to the Met Gala include Kim Kardashian and her mother Kris Jenner, Beyoncé, Serena and Venus Williams, Rihanna, Teyana Taylor, and many more.
Celebrities who are skipping this year’s Met Gala, include Zendaya, Meryl Streep and Bella Hadid, who “liked” Lynch’s viral Instagram post.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos contributed $10 million to the 2026 Met Gala. For that much money, he doesn’t care what people think.
Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez are co-chairs of the 2026 Met Gala. The other co-chairs are Anna Wintour, Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams.
NYC activists plastered posters near the Metropolitan 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.
Stars and public figures who are banned from attending tonight’s Met Gala include President Donald Trump and rappers Nicki Minaj and Kanye West.