Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson has criticized stars who attended the Bezos-backed Met Gala after a series of apparent A-list snubs.
The Empire star, 55, blasted Met Gala honorary co-chairs, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, and the celebrities in attendance at this year’s fashion spectacular. Henson commented on an Instagram video posted by Meredith Lynch, a writer and comic, who slammed A-listers who were intending to wear “ICE Out” pins to the event.
Lynch said that the Met is “a wonderful institution in New York City” and that the gala’s donations, which fund the museum’s Costume Institute, are for a “good cause.” However, she lambasted the fact that Bezos became the event’s main backer this year. The Amazon founder and Trump-friendly billionaire reportedly paid $10 million toward the gala. Lynch said it was “wild to me that this event is sponsored by Jeff Bezos, who has backed Trump, who has slashed arts funding.”
“Jeff Bezos is part of the reason that we are in this f---ing mess,” said Lynch.
Her viral post, which was also liked (and later unliked) by supermodel Bella Hadid, caught the attention of Henson, who said in the comments, “I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”
Henson later added a post to her Instagram story about Bezos’s $500 million superyacht, juxtaposed with an image of Amazon workers facing “precarious conditions, low wages, and high injury rates.”
“Enjoy the Met 😒,” the Golden Globe-winner wrote to her 22 million followers.
Henson has attended the Met Gala herself, appearing at last year’s event, which unveiled the acclaimed exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. She also attended in 2024, 2021, and 2015.
While the Met Gala never fails to attract public attention, the presence of the billionaire couple heightened scrutiny and underscored ongoing debates about wealth and disparity in the country.
Protesters gathered outside the venue in New York City, including eye-catching demonstrations by the guerrilla activist group Everyone Hates Elon. Some online commenters speculated that certain A-Listers, like Zendaya and Meryl Streep, snubbed the gala because of its sponsors. Streep’s representatives, however, pointed out that the actress has never attended the event.
This year’s gala brought in a record $42 million, according to the Business of Fashion. Last year, the event raised $31 million. Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s curator in charge, told the New York Times that money is put aside every year “into a quasi endowment,” and that the Institute could potentially be self-sufficient by 2030.
“The Met Gala is extraordinary,” Bolton said, “But sometimes it dwarfs everything.”
