Jeff Bezos reportedly paid up to $20 million for Met Gala co-chair role

• Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez served as honorary co-chairs for the 2026 Met Gala.
• Reports suggest a sponsorship donation between $10 million and $20 million.
• Former Vogue planner Stephanie Winston Wolkoff criticises the "transactional" shift of the event.
  

The 2026 Met Gala, held on Monday, has become a lightning rod for controversy following the high-profile involvement of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez.

Serving as honorary co-chairs, the couple’s presence was reportedly secured through a massive personal sponsorship.

While official figures vary, reports from Page Six and the New York Post suggest the contribution ranged between $10 million and $20 million, a sum that has sparked a fierce debate over whether the "Oscars of Fashion" has traded its artistic integrity for billionaire patronage.

The backlash was echoed by Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, the former Vogue special events planner who oversaw the gala for over a decade.

Speaking to Variety and Page Six on Tuesday, Wolkoff noted that the event has evolved into something "transactional," reflecting a broader shift where cultural status can be purchased rather than earned through years of creative impact.

"Every person on that carpet used to feel intentional," she remarked, suggesting that the current sense of purpose has become "less defined" as the gala enters what critics are calling its "billionaire era."

The event’s atmosphere was further strained by the absence of several regular A-listers. Both Zendaya and Bella Hadid chose to skip this year’s gala, with insiders suggesting the decision was influenced by the growing discomfort surrounding Bezos' role.

Outside the Metropolitan Museum, activists from the group "Labor is Art" staged a counter-fashion show and placed hundreds of fake urine bottles around the area to protest Amazon’s labour policies.

Despite the record-breaking $42 million raised for the Costume Institute, the 2026 gala may be remembered more for the "Bezos Ball" protests than for the "Fashion is Art" theme displayed on the red carpet.