Jeff Bezos is sponsoring the Met Gala this year and now Zendaya, Meryl Streep, and a growing list of designers are all finding reasons not to show up

Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Amazon, and his wife Lauren Sánchez have announced they will be sponsoring this year’s Met Gala. The decision has not been well received by several high-profile celebrities and designers, many of whom have chosen to skip the event in response. The Gala is set to take place on May 4 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.

Zendaya is one of the latest celebrities to confirm she will not be attending. According to Elle, the actress wants to take a break from the public eye after a very busy stretch that included press tours for two major projects, The Drama and Euphoria Season 3, as well as upcoming work on The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day.

Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep has also declined an invitation to serve as a co-chair at this year’s event, reports The Daily Beast. Her decision is tied to the Bezos family’s involvement. Her representative noted that while she appreciates Vogue and Anna Wintour’s “incredible imagination and stamina,” the event is simply not her scene. Streep has never attended the Met Gala before.

The Bezos family’s ties to the Trump administration are driving real consequences in Hollywood

Several designers and socialites have also chosen to opt out of the event in protest over the Bezos family’s close relationship with the Trump administration, according to reports. Bezos and Lauren Sánchez have been seen as supporters of the current administration, and that association appears to be making a number of people in the entertainment and fashion world uncomfortable. 

The backlash reflects a broader tension in Hollywood between staying neutral and taking a public stance. Bezos is also the owner of The Washington Post, a publication that has faced significant internal changes in recent times, including how the Post laid off over 300 journalists and shifted its editorial direction. 

That broader context has only added to the growing criticism surrounding his public image, and it appears to be influencing how people in creative industries choose to associate themselves with him.

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour are all still set to serve as co-chairs for the event. The Gala is expected to go ahead as planned despite the growing list of people choosing not to attend and ongoing calls from activists to boycott it. The event has historically drawn the biggest names in fashion, film, and music, which makes this year’s wave of absences particularly noticeable.

The article also mentions tension between Zendaya and her Euphoria co-star Sydney Sweeney. The two have been rumored to be at odds over Sweeney’s suspected political views, and their limited interaction during the show’s press tour has added to that speculation. Whether or not those rumors are true, the dynamic between the two has become a talking point surrounding the show’s promotional cycle.

As for Streep’s representative, they stated that she appreciates Vogue and Anna Wintour’s “incredible imagination and stamina,” but that the Met Gala is simply not something she participates in, and her decision this year is also linked to the Bezos family’s involvement. 

Bezos, meanwhile, continues to expand his reach beyond Amazon and media. NASA’s evolving relationship with private space companies, including Amazon’s own Blue Origin, is one area worth watching, particularly as private space giants compete for NASA missions.

With a growing number of A-listers, designers, and socialites stepping back from the event, it remains to be seen how this year’s Met Gala will compare to previous years. The event will still go ahead on May 4, but the wave of high-profile absences is hard to ignore, and the conversation around Bezos’ sponsorship does not appear to be dying down anytime soon.