Met Gala is dubbed the Amazon Prime Gala as host Lauren Sanchez is seen ‘mom dancing with Anna Wintour to cruise ship-style entertainment
The 2026 Met Gala has been dubbed the Amazon Prime Gala by fans as host Lauren Sanchez’s ‘mom dance’ video was declared the final nail in the coffin for the event’s credibility.
Anna Wintour’s annual fashion extravaganza has sparked controversy from the moment it was announced in November 2025 that Lauren and her husband, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, would serve as lead sponsors and honorary chairs.
On Monday, Lauren opened the event alongside former Vogue editor-in-chief Anna and co-chair Nicole Kidman as the blue carpet at Manhattan’s Metropolitan Museum of Art was officially unveiled.
The opening of the event, which costs more than 75 thousand dollars for a single ticket, with ‘cruise ship style’ entertainment, stunned the fans.
Lauren, Anna and Nicole He was welcomed with a performance by actor and singer Joshua Henry and sang along with the 12-member choir. I Want To Dance With Someone From Whitney Houston.
In the video captured by the Daily Mail, the stunning Lauren was clearly enjoying the performance, dancing along to the music, but Met Gala fans were shocked by the change in tone.
The 2026 Met Gala has been dubbed the Amazon Prime Gala by fans as host Lauren Sanchez’s “mom dance” video was heralded as the final nail in the event’s coffin
Lauren, Anna and Nicole Kidman were welcomed with the performance of actor Joshua Henry, who sang the song I Wanna Dance with Somebody along with the 12-member choir.
‘Carnival Cruise delivers lines,’ one decided, and another agreed and asked: ‘Why did anyone think a cruise ship cover band was a good idea?!?’
‘Looks like the cool kids need to start a new activity. This is a donnnnne,” declared another commenter on Instagram.
‘It’s a farewell party for Anna Wintour’s credibility’ and ‘This is the tackiest thing I’ve ever seen.’ While many commented: ‘Money can’t buy you class’, many others said: ‘Welcome to the Amazon Prime Gala’.
The night did not go down well, with devastated fans taking to social media to describe the premiere as the ‘worst’ yet, criticizing the ‘cheap’ outfits and venting their anger over the ‘tacky’ guest list.
The event was notable for missing out on many big names who had previously been Met Gala regulars, such as Zendaya and Billie Eilish, and were instead attended by a host of social media stars, WAGs, models and heiresses.
Many of the emerging stars got this spectacularly wrong, turning the red carpet into a parade of sartorial disasters and outright fashion failures.
Some of the famous faces at this year’s event included Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Sabrina Carpenter, Blake Lively, Zoe Kravitz, Hailey Bieber, Beyonce, Rihanna, Gigi Hadid, Heidi Klum and Katy Perry.
But there appeared to be more Z-list celebrities than A-list celebs, as other attendees included Cristiano Ronaldo’s model fiancée Georgina Rodríguez, influencer Grace Ann Nader – whose older sister, Sports Illustrated model Brooks Nader, was absent – and Rupert Murdoch and Wendi Deng’s heiress daughters Grace and Chloe.
In the video captured by the Daily Mail, it was clear that the stunning Lauren was enjoying the performance, dancing along to the music, but Met Gala fans were shocked by the change in tone of her voice
‘Carnival Cruise delivers lines,’ one decided, and another agreed and asked: ‘Why did anyone think a cruise ship cover band was a good idea?!?’
As far as billionaires go, there were plenty of them, including Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, billionaire Isha Ambani, George Soros’ sons Alex Soros and Robert Soros, Walmart heir S. Robson Walton, and venture capitalist and author Amy Griffin.
A fashion industry insider told the Daily Mail before the event that the Bezoses being a part of it “felt like a real slap in the face to a lot of people.”
‘Obviously this is very hurtful and very disturbing’ [the Bezoses] “Being the face of this year’s Met Gala is something truly meaningful to so many people and such a respected institution,” the source said.
Amazon billionaire Bezos deliberately skipped the red carpet after allegedly paying $10 million for the co-chairmanship.
