Protesters angry with Jeff Bezos and his $10 million donation to fund the Met Gala and the museum’s Costume Institute stormed the red carpet on Monday night outside the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 5th Avenue at Central Park. Some protesters entered the Met ahead of the party and left little tiny bottles of fake urine around near all the exhibits to protest on behalf of Amazon workers who said they’re not allowed to take bathroom breaks.
Under the banner “Resistance Red Carpet,” protesters carried signs declaring “f*ck Trump,” “war no more,” or “f*ck Bezos.” Another protester held up a sign reading “your carpet is stained in blood.”
One anti-Bezos protester rushed the red carpet. According to an eyewitness who spoke to the NY Post, the protester “pushed his way through the crowd of fans and press” before leaping over steel barriers and causing a commotion just 20 feet from the big names in expensive formal wear.
Fashion designer Tom Ford protected actress Julianne Moore from a protester. Neither of the Bezos’ were on the red carpet at the time, though the fairer of the pair had walked it earlier in the afternoon.
Bezos and wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos paid $10 million to be the honorary co-chairs for the bash, which was chaired by Beyonce, Nicole Kidman, and Venus Williams. Bezos paid $2.7 billion in federal taxes in 2024. Tickets for the affair were $100,000 each.
Protesters’ main complaint was with Bezos and the working conditions at Amazon warehouses. In Oregon recently, a man died while working on the floor and managers told staffers to just keep working. They also take issue with his ownership of the Washington Post, his donation to President Trump’s inauguration fund, and Amazon’s backing of a documentary about First Lady Melania Trump.
Refinery 29, a leftist women’s fashion and lifestyle outlet, said “protesting is so important.” They said that “The Met Gala is one of the biggest platforms in the world, with millions of eyeballs focused on what Beyoncé (also a co-chair of the event) and other celebrities will be wearing. What so many of these causes — like workers’ rights, the war in Iran, genocides in Gaza and Sudan, the affordability crisis — need is more attention.”
Most of the guests, however, agree with the protesters. Other than Bezos, many of them have been outspoken against Trump and his administration. Actress Sarah Paulson wore a dollar bill as a domino mask to call out the “one percent,” though she is worth some $12 million. Mayor Zohran Mamdani declined to attend the event this year.
