Protesters gather blocks away from where the Met Gala is being held in Manhattan on May 4 in New York City. Spencer Platt/Getty Images With all of the action on the Met Gala carpet, there was just as much going on right outside of its entrance.
Midway through the stream of stars strutting up the iconic Met steps, a protester nearly crashed the carpet, getting as close as the pit of photographers before they were tackled by a number of police officers. The protester’s signs were also ripped out of their hand and thrown behind a barricade.
A protestor attempts to ambush the #MetGala carpet before getting stopped by NYPD and Met security. pic.twitter.com/C22C8niZcF
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) May 4, 2026
This year’s gala has faced plenty of public pushback due to Jeff Bezos‘ involvement, as he and wife Lauren Sánchez Bezos serve as honorary chairs for the evening as well as are sponsoring the accompanying spring Costume Institute exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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Critics accused the billionaire of buying influence with the major event and speculation swirled that some stars may boycott the event due to his involvement. Bezos himself did not walk the carpet at the event, and Sánchez Bezos walked the steps solo.
Plenty of other protests also took place further away from The Met entrance, as protesters gathered with signs that read, “billionaires for a dead planet,” “tax the rich” and “with billionaires in charge, POTUS is a pedophile, rapist and traitor.” The New York Times also reported that ahead of the event, activists with the group Everyone Hates Elon left 300 bottles of fake urine in the museum — a reference to reports from Amazon employees that they’ve had to go to the bathroom in water bottles while on the job.
This 2026 Met Gala is being co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour under the theme of “Costume Art,” which “examines the centrality of the dressed body throughout time and culture, juxtaposing garments and works of art from across the Museum’s vast collection to create pairings that highlight the indivisible connection between clothing and the body,” per The Met.
See all the celebrity looks here, and catch up on all of The Hollywood Reporter‘s Met Gala coverage here.
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