The 2026 Met Gala will kick off the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s spring Costume Institute exhibition, “Costume Art.” Leading the event are four prominent figures across entertainment, sports, and fashion: Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.
This year’s gala marks Beyoncé’s first return to the Met in a decade; she last ascended the museum’s steps in 2016 for the “Manus x Machina” exhibition, wearing Givenchy Haute Couture.
Kidman and Williams, by contrast, have remained Met Gala fixtures, most recently attending May’s “Superfine” event—Kidman in sculptural, vintage-inspired Balenciaga and Williams in a custom Lacoste tennis ensemble.
Joining the co-chairs, Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz will lead the 2026 Host Committee.
They will be joined by Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, LISA, Chloe Malle, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, A’ja Wilson, and Yseult, with additional names to be announced.
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos will serve as the lead individual sponsors of the 2026 Met Gala, supporting both the exhibition and its major fundraising initiatives. Their participation, as two figures frequently cited in discussions of America’s evolving oligarchic structures, has prompted renewed scrutiny of the Met Gala’s cultural legitimacy.
In light of this, many have questioned why the co-chairs agreed to take on their roles. Pop culture commentator Blakely Neiman Thornton addressed the issue on Instagram, opening his video by saying, “[Jeff Bezos and Anna Wintour] managed to assemble a group of girls and gays that could easily shield the bullsh*t deservedly coming their way.”
He continued, “the person that continues to disappoint me lately to the nth degree is our girl [Beyonce]….It is now clear to see that her understanding of the culture and of blackness are completely motherf*cking surface which ultimately makes them worthless…When it comes to her choices, I’m done.”
Thornton also addressed Sabrina Carpenter directly, asking, “what are you doing boo? You’re more than willing to call the white house evil, and rightfully so. But throwing a party with his financial backers is a go?”
Comments under the video reflected the divide in public opinion. Some echoed Thornton’s critique, with one writing, “Beyonce letting herself be used like this is the disappointment of the decade,” while another said, “Celebrities will always disappoint us at the end of the day. Because you know what they have, that we don’t? Class solidarity.”
Others, meanwhile, celebrated Beyoncé’s return, saying, “beyonce back at the met gala… i used to pray for days like this 😭”
Anna Wintour will also co-chair the 2026 Met Gala, her first since stepping down as American Vogue editor-in-chief. Chloe Malle now leads Vogue’s editorial content, while Wintour assumes global content roles.
