Photo Credit: Getty Images
The 2026 Met Gala, traditionally fashion’s most glittering night, has become a flashpoint for celebrity activism as industry veterans Jenifer Lewis and Taraji P. Henson publicly called out their peers for attending the event. The criticism centers on the gala’s lead sponsor and honorary co-chair, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, whose involvement sparked widespread boycotts and protests across New York City
.
On Tuesday, May 5, Jenifer Lewis took to Instagram to express her disappointment in Black celebrities who walked the red carpet despite Bezos’ controversial overhaul of The Washington Post and Amazon’s recent labor record. In a video that quickly went viral, the Black-ish star played the piano while delivering a scathing lyrical critique. “They cut nearly 30,000 jobs and gutted the Washington Post,” Lewis stated. “They showed up anyway? Postering and posing, hoping to be the most.”
Lewis emphasized the disconnect between the opulence of the “Fashion is Art” theme and the economic struggles of everyday workers, noting that thousands of Black women have lost jobs in the tech and media sectors since early 2025. “How much fame do we need, y’all?” she asked her followers, questioning the “solidarity” of stars who chose to celebrate alongside the billionaire.
Taraji P. Henson, a four-time Met Gala attendee, was notably absent from this year’s festivities. Ahead of the event, Henson signaled her disapproval by commenting on a video by influencer Meredith Lynch, which urged celebrities to avoid the gala due to Bezos’ ties to federal immigration agencies and alleged worker exploitation. Henson wrote, “I am so confused by some [people] that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”
The backlash follows reports that Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, contributed an eight-figure sum to host and sponsor the benefit. Activists transformed the streets surrounding the Metropolitan Museum of Art into a protest zone, featuring posters of Bezos in an ICE agent’s uniform and placing symbolic “urine bottles” around the museum to highlight reported conditions for Amazon delivery drivers.
While global icons like Beyoncé and Venus Williams served as official co-chairs, the vocal dissent from Lewis and Henson has shifted the conversation from the gala’s couture to the ethics of its patronage. As the event raised a record-breaking $42 million for the Costume Institute, the “Bezos Ball” remains a polarizing milestone, highlighting a deepening divide within Hollywood over wealth inequality and corporate accountability.
