The 2026 Met Gala: Beyoncé’s Return, a Bezos Boycott and Bad Bunny Aging 53 Years on the Steps

The 2026 Met Gala had a gown for every camera and a controversy for every conversation. On Monday night (May 4), Beyoncé came back to the steps after a 10-year absence as co-chair, Bad Bunny turned up as a very convincing senior citizen, and the evening’s honorary chairs, Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, dominated the talk before anyone walked the carpet.

The dress code was “Fashion Is Art,” which asked guests to “consider the many ways that designers use the body as their blank canvas,” per Vogue. The benefit opens the Costume Institute’s “Costume Art” exhibition, which inaugurates the Met’s new 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries and pairs garments with works of art from the museum’s collection.

The night’s music

Co-chairs Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Vogue’s Anna Wintour presided, with Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, LISA, Sam Smith and Teyana Taylor on the host committee. Carpenter and Stevie Nicks performed, duetting on “Landslide” before Carpenter rejoined Nicks to sing backup on “Don’t Stop,” Pitchfork reported.

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Beyoncé’s return, per Rolling Stone, brought a rapturous reception. She arrived among the last guests in a sheer gown covered in diamonds that outlined a skeleton and a feathered coat with a long train, joined on the steps by Jay-Z and their daughter Blue.

Bad Bunny’s 53 years

Bad Bunny had everyone doing double takes. Billboard described him aging himself with white hair and wrinkle makeup and walking in with a cane, an all-black suit and a big flowy bow. Asked by Vogue’s La La Anthony how long the look took, he said, “53 years exactly. It took a little bit but it’s worth it. I hope I look good.” Rolling Stone figured the “Aging Body” category of the Costume Art show was the key, plus the nostalgia of his last album, DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS.

The Bezos problem

The evening’s off-camera story was who wasn’t there. Naming the Bezoses as honorary chairs generated vocal opposition from attendees and fashion fans, Pitchfork reported, and some called for a boycott. Taraji P. Henson was a pointed no-show, and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani turned down the invitation, saying his focus is on “affordability.” Sánchez Bezos, who wore a Schiaparelli gown inspired by John Singer Sargent’s “Madame X,” told the Today show earlier in the week that she was “honored” when Wintour called. “These designers are true artists,” she said. “Elsa Schiaparelli was best friends with Salvador Dalí.”

On the carpet, Charli xcx wore a custom Saint Laurent gown with a glass iris snaking up the bodice, and Janelle Monáe’s Christian Siriano gown had robotic butterflies on its shoulders. Venus Williams’ Swarovski gown nodded to the painting “Venus Williams, Double Portrait” and to pay disparity for female tennis stars. Next up is the exhibition itself, which pairs garments with the Met’s artworks and includes a category called the “Aging Body.”

Added to the High Grailed archive on October 12, 2026.