The Met Gala is one of New York City’s biggest nights, so it’s only right that the mayor gets a coveted invite.
Every NYC mayor since 2002 has attended the annual fundraising event, which raises money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. Here’s Bill de Blasio in 2021.
Here’s Eric Adams in 2022.
And here’s Michael Bloomberg, a certified Met Gala regular who’s attended a ton of times between 1998 and 2026.
Mayor Mamdani and the (super stylish) first lady, Rama Duwaji, were reportedly invited to the Met Gala but, in a break from tradition, declined to go.
In an interview with Hell Gate in April, Mamdani praised the Met as “an incredible museum” and “a critical part of the city,” but said he wouldn’t attend the prestigious red-carpet event on May 4 in order to focus on “affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable.”
He didn’t go into much more detail, but the mayor’s decision to skip the event came amid significant controversy surrounding this year’s Met Gala, due to Amazon founder Jeff Bezos serving as its lead sponsor, along with his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos.
In the weeks leading up to the event, “Boycott The Bezos Met Gala” posters appeared around NYC. One poster read, “The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to You by the Company that Powers ICE,” while another said, “The only minority destroying this nation is the super rich.”
And it wasn’t just anti-billionaire protesters taking issue with the so-called “Bezos Met Gala.” Celebrities and former Met Gala attendees like Olivia Rodrigo, Cara Delevingne, and Bella Hadid were seen to have liked Instagram posts criticizing Bezos’s involvement in the fundraiser. Taraji P. Henson also wrote on IG that she was “confused” to see so many fellow celebs still planning to attend, asking: “WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!”
We can’t say for sure if the Bezos backlash was the reason that the mayor decided to skip the Met Gala. However, he just shared a rather pointed Instagram post that drew attention to some of the fashion industry’s unsung heroes. “While the world’s eyes are on fashion’s biggest night, we’re turning ours to the garment, retail, and warehouse workers who keep the industry running,” he wrote via the @nycmayor IG page. “From true love found on the picket line to a free tailoring school out of a Brooklyn basement — meet the New Yorkers who make it all possible.”
The post — which you can find here — is being hailed as the perfect statement amid the Bezos backlash, with fans additionally saying that Mamdani’s decision not to attend the Met Gala was a real power move. “This is how you critique the Met Gala and not shit on fashion as an art form!!!” one Reddit user highlighted.
“Someone in power with a backbone is always a delightful change!” another user wrote. “So sick to see how many celebrities are more than happy to cozy up to Bezos, although unfortunately not surprising.”
Well, all you need to do now is get over to the @nycmayor Instagram and learn about all those fantastic New Yorkers! Enjoy!