With the Met Gala just weeks away, protests have already begun to surface. This year’s event has sparked controversy due to its lead sponsors, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez, who are also serving as honorary co-chairs. Posters plastered across New York City are urging a boycott of the 2026 gala, criticizing Amazon for its alleged labor exploitation and connections to ICE through its AWS platform.
The British campaign Everyone Hates Elon, known for its political activism, is behind the posters. They have made these designs available for free download to encourage widespread sharing. The campaign quickly raised over $10,000 to fund its efforts to highlight and embarrass Bezos before the gala. A spokesperson for the group pointedly remarked, “People are being murdered by ICE. Iran is being bombed. Democratic institutions are being dismantled,” criticizing Vogue and the Met Museum for celebrating Bezos.
Everyone Hates Elon is renowned for its stunts against figures like Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, advocating for taxing the wealthy. It has also targeted Donald Trump and Prince Andrew for their ties to Jeffrey Epstein. The poster designs depict images like a red carpet spotlighting a water bottle filled with urine, symbolizing the challenging working conditions Amazon delivery drivers face, and a tear gas canister, highlighting AWS’s role in ICE operations.
The campaign’s impact on this year’s Met Gala remains uncertain. Past protests, such as the 2024 pro-Palestine demonstration, led to arrests and spurred a “Celebrity Block Party” aiming to counteract celebrity influence amid silence on Gaza. Critics suggest that boycotting the Bezos-backed event should extend to avoiding Amazon itself for meaningful change.
