2026 Met Gala Raises $42 Million

The 2026 Met Gala took place on Monday, May 4, 2026, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos were the lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs. Protests occurred against Jeff Bezos’s involvement, and one protester was detained after attempting to enter the event.

Pro-Palestine demonstrators stood outside the Met Gala in 2025. Several tech CEOs attended, some of whom skipped the photo op and slipped inside. Lauren Sánchez Bezos posed for cameras at the event but did not participate in interviews.

Venus Williams sidestepped a question about Jeff Bezos’s participation. Cher said she was “not a fan” of Jeff Bezos’s participation. The gala raised a record-breaking $42 million, putting the Costume Institute on track to become self-sustaining.

Anna Wintour delivered a speech before the event emphasizing that the evening was an opportunity to showcase the work that goes into fashion, including the efforts of hairdressers, drivers, and caterers. She noted that the livestream encourages tourists to visit the Met in person. Anna Wintour wore a feathery custom Chanel confection.

This was Anna Wintour’s first Met Gala since stepping down as editor-in-chief of American Vogue. Lena Dunham attended wearing a custom crimson gown by Valentino designed by Alessandro Michele. It was embroidered with sequins and trimmed with crow’s feathers that encircled the high neckline and ran down the end of the long train.

Lena Dunham wore onyx ear jackets with dangling silver sword drops, had a blood-spatter pattern manicure in red painted by nail artist Sonya Meesh, bleached eyebrows, and Scarlet Valentino Rockstud heels. Her look was styled by Talia Cassel and Michael Handler. She served on the 2026 Met Gala host committee and last attended the event in 2019.

She also told Vogue that Alessandro Michele was attracted to the particular blood spatter on the neck of Holofernes rather than Renaissance garments or swords. Lena Dunham attended the after-party wearing an ivory bustier dress with a flouncy gathered skirt, lace-up boots and a beaded pendant necklace.

She was hospitalized for days after the 2017 Met Gala due to endometriosis complications and attended the 2018 Met Gala while on leave from a rehab facility.

Her memoir “Famesick” discloses details about her past Met Gala experiences. Beyoncé attended the event, her first appearance in 10 years, wearing a gown by French designer Olivier Rousteing with an embellished skeleton design and a giant feathered cape. She attended with husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy, who was 14 years old at the time.

The Met Gala typically only allows guests who are 18 or older. Rihanna wore a custom Maison Margiela by Glenn Martens gown encrusted with thousands of jewels and beads. A$AP Rocky wore a custom Chanel pink coat with black satin lapels.

Nicole Kidman wore a red, long-sleeved beaded column gown by Chanel and attended with her daughter Sunday Rose. Venus Williams wore a black sparkling gown with a luxurious silver, jewel-encrusted neck adornment. She is a five-time Wimbledon winner.

Serena Williams wore a silver Marc Jacobs creation. Joshua Henry opened the red carpet with a performance of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” accompanied by a band and dancers. Tessa Thompson wore a Valentino garment in International Klein Blue at the event inspired by Yves Klein.

The dress featured sculptural pattern cuttings and evoked the shape of paint splatter. She coated her fingers in blue makeup, referencing Yves Klein’s use of models as human paintbrushes. The 2026 Costume Institute exhibit features nine new mannequins modeling body types not typically included in the fashion industry, including those in wheelchairs, pregnant, or missing limbs.

Aariana Rose Philip was the first wheelchair user to attend the Met Gala. She told Vogue: “For so long, disabled people were not represented anywhere... Gwendoline Christie referenced John Singer Sargent at the event.

Michael Kors designed Anne Hathaway’s gown.