Jeff Bezos privately pressed organizers of the 2026 Met Gala to keep actor Justin Theroux off the guest list and showed up to the event but skipped the red carpet, according to a new report that sheds light on how the billionaire navigated mounting criticism over his role as a lead sponsor and honorary co‑chair.
Rob Shuter, writing on his Naughty But Nice Substack, reported that Bezos considered not attending the Metropolitan Museum of Art fundraiser amid public backlash tied to Amazon’s controversial workplace practices and a broader wave of anti‑billionaire sentiment. Shuter’s account says Bezos ultimately opted to attend the private dinner and party but declined to walk the carpet, leaving his wife, Lauren Sánchez, to make a solo entrance and pose for photographers.
Shuter’s sources alleged Bezos also asked that Justin Theroux — whose character Benji Barnes appears in the new film The Devil Wears Prada 2 as a billionaire tech executive — be barred from the gala. “Justin’s character is Jeff, plain and simple,” one insider told Shuter. “And Jeff has zero sense of humor when the joke is about him — or Lauren. He can laugh at almost anything else. But mock him, mock her, and you’re done.” A second source added, “Jeff did not find it funny. Not the parody, not the performance, not the Lauren angle—none of it. And once Jeff was offended, Justin was never getting through that door.”
Theroux, who has promoted the film at recent screenings, told People on April 20 that his character is “such an idiot” and described playing the role as revelatory because of its ridiculousness. The actor’s comments and the movie’s depiction of a tech magnate romantically linked to a high‑fashion executive reportedly rankled Bezos and his inner circle, prompting the alleged pre‑Gala request.
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Several attendees quoted by Shuter also portrayed Sánchez, a media personality and one of the gala’s celebrity co‑chairs, as the event’s dominant figure. “Inside the room, Lauren was the gravitational center,” one guest told Shuter, saying Sánchez commanded attention, directed conversation and drew powerful guests to her table. The sources suggested that Vogue’s Anna Wintour — formally the gala’s driving force — deferred to where the money and influence were concentrated this year.
The accounts underscore tensions that can surface when major philanthropic galas intersect with high‑stakes sponsorships and cultural scrutiny of wealth. While the Met Gala relies heavily on celebrity co‑chairs and benefactors, the idea that a major donor would request exclusion of a specific guest or that a sponsor might avoid the public aspects of attendance speaks to the delicate balancing act between hospitality, publicity and reputational risk.
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The reports come amid wider coverage of the Met Gala’s 2026 edition, and are based on unnamed insiders; neither Bezos nor representatives for Sánchez, Theroux or Vogue immediately commented in the accounts cited. The New York fundraiser has historically attracted debate over its guest list and dependence on wealthy patrons, an issue that Shuter’s piece argues took on fresh urgency this year as scrutiny of Amazon and its founder intensified.
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