This year's Met Gala raised a record $42 million.
The 2026 Met Gala raised a record $42 million to support the Costume Institute, with individual tickets costing $100,000 and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, the event's main sponsors.
It's worth noting that the couple's participation sparked protests in the lead-up to the event. Meryl Streep declined her role as co-chair of the Met Gala because of Bezos and Sanchez. Zendaya also decided to skip the event: according to official reports, the actress decided to take a break after her press tours for the film "What a Drama!" and the series "Euphoria." However, she had previously indirectly expressed her feelings about Bezos and Sanchez, distancing herself from her "Euphoria" co-star and the couple's protégé, Sydney Sweeney.
As a reminder, 34-year-old New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his wife, 28-year-old Rama Duwaji, also announced they would skip the Met Gala. He stated that "society shouldn't operate by the rules of the billionaire world," despite the event being partially funded by major entrepreneurs, including Jeff Bezos.
The Met Gala is a premier annual event featuring world-renowned celebrities and raising funds for the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This year's theme is "Costume Art": the ball explores the role of the human body in art across eras, from classical sculpture to contemporary fashion.
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