Trolling billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos has become an unofficial theme at this year’s Met Gala.
Despite the official theme, “Costume Art,” at Monday’s annual celebration of fashion at the Metropolitan Museum in New York, critics have targeted the billionaire couple who are honorary chairs of the 2026 event.
Protesters from a “Resistance Red Carpet” movement held up signs outside the star-studded Met Gala, targeting Bezos and his ties to President Donald Trump.
One protester wore a black and white dress with flowers and slogans including “F--- TRUMP” and “WAR NO MORE,” while another wore a white hood and a sign that read “F--- BEZOS.
A sign spotted in the crowd said, “Your red carpet is stained in blood.”
Others wore top hats, chewed cigars and held cash with signs reading, “TAX THE RICH,” and “TRILLIONAIRES FOR TRUMP.”
Caterer Jen Shoemaker wore a hat quoting Trump’s infamous “Quiet Piggy” statement to a female journalist.
As the red carpet was underway, activist Chris Smalls, founder of the Amazon Labor Union, was seen being detained on the red carpet.
Smalls attempted to make his way into the event as celebrities walked the red carpet, prompting security to tackle him. He held a sign protesting Amazon’s working conditions, and previously worked for the $3 trillion company.
The Daily Beast has contacted Smalls for comment.
Ahead of the event, activists with the group Everyone Hates Elon left 300 bottles of fake urine in the museum, The New York Times reported. It was a protest against reports by Amazon workers that they had to urinate into bottles due to extreme productivity quotas.
As anti-billionaire sentiment grows in the community, Everyone Hates Elon posted messages across New York ahead of the Met Gala, including on bus stops and in subways, according to CNN.
The group’s Instagram page shared a picture of the message, “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala” being projected onto the couple’s $80 million penthouse near Madison Square Park, among other slogans.
The activist collective is funded by around 1,000 donors worldwide. One of their founders, hiding their identity, told Erin Burnett OutFront on CNN on Monday they had been meeting with Amazon workers ahead of the Met Gala.
“We met with a 72-year-old woman who was literally in tears as she told us about some of the conditions that she‘s faced,” they said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed he would not attend this year’s Met Gala, saying he wants to focus on “making the most expensive city in the United States affordable.”
Also turning down an invite was Meryl Streep, currently promoting The Devil Wears Prada 2, where she plays a character based on Met Gala chair Anna Wintour.
Her publicist told People that the event “has never quite been her scene.”
Frequent attendee Zendaya, star of Euphoria, did not attend, with her stylist telling E! that “she’s busy.” She was previously a co-chair of the event and attended last year.
Models Bella Hadid, Cara Delevingne and actress Taraji P.Henson all previously liked an Instagram account calling out celebrities who planned to attend the event.
“I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!,” Henson commented on the post.
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