Met Gala 2026: Celebrities Who Criticised Or Boycotted The Event Amid Backlash

The Met Gala 2026 may have delivered on spectacle, but off the red carpet, the conversation was harder to ignore. This year’s event found itself at the centre of backlash after Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez came on board as sponsors and honorary co-chairs.

The response was immediate. Critics questioned the growing presence of tech billionaires in cultural spaces, and calls for a boycott began circulating online. While some celebrities still attended, others chose to speak up, skip the event, or quietly signal where they stood. Here’s a closer look at who reacted and how.

Bella Hadid didn’t make a loud statement, but her actions didn’t go unnoticed. The model liked a widely shared Instagram video criticising Bezos and calling out celebrities who chose to attend.

It was a small gesture, but one that clearly placed her within the larger conversation.

Taraji P. Henson was direct. Commenting on the same post, she wrote that she was “confused” by those choosing to attend, questioning the decision in clear terms. It was one of the more openly critical reactions from someone within the industry.

Mark Ruffalo took things further by amplifying a video featuring an Amazon worker speaking out about working conditions. The video directly criticised Bezos, calling attention to labour issues and questioning who really deserves to be celebrated at an event like the Met Gala. Ruffalo sharing it helped push that conversation into the mainstream.

Olivia Rodrigo didn’t issue a public statement, but she did like the same video shared by Ruffalo. Like Hadid, it was a quieter form of engagement, but still part of the broader wave of reactions online.

Model Bryana Holly also showed support for the criticism by liking the video. Interestingly, while she didn’t attend, her husband Nicholas Hoult was present at the event, highlighting how divided responses were even within the same circles.

Apple Martin engaged with posts that referenced protests against Amazon’s labour practices, including claims about workers being pushed to extreme conditions. Her interaction added to the growing list of younger voices reacting online.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani chose to skip the Met Gala altogether, breaking a long-standing tradition. While he didn’t directly reference Bezos, he stated that his focus was on issues like affordability in the city. Given the wider context, his absence still felt like part of the larger moment.

Elizabeth Warren was among the most direct critics. In a post online, she pointed out that if Bezos could spend millions sponsoring the Met Gala, he could also afford to pay more in taxes. Her comment cut straight to the core of the criticism surrounding wealth and influence.

Livia Giuggioli, former wife of Colin Firth, did not attend the Met Gala 2026 but made her stance clear ahead of the event. She publicly criticised Jeff Bezos’s involvement, calling him “one of the most dangerous men in the world” and expressing disappointment that Anna Wintour allowed the sponsorship. She also compared the Met Gala to The Hunger Games, pointing to the growing gap between wealth and reality.

While the Met Gala 2026 delivered its usual share of fashion headlines, the conversation around it extended far beyond the red carpet. From quiet social media signals to outright criticism, the reactions revealed a growing discomfort with how power and culture intersect. And if anything, it suggests that the story of this year’s Met Gala isn’t just about what people wore, but who chose not to show up, and why.