Featured Image Credit: Jason Howard/Bauer-Griffin / Contributor / Getty
A galaxy of stars descended on the iconic steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art for 2026’s Met Gala, and, as usual, their outfits threatened to overshadow the event itself.
There's been a vocal backlash against the extravagant event, with stars like Mark Ruffalo, Bella Hadid, and Taraji P. Henson calling out this representation of wealth.
Amid calls for boycotts, the British group called Everyone Hates Elon staged a protest by leaving 300 bottles of (fake) urine adorned with Jeff Bezos' face around the museum.
Away from some rebranding the Met Gala as the 'Tech Gala' due to Bezos and Lauren Sánchez footing the reported $10 million bill, the wife of the Amazon billionaire has been dealing with a very different controversy.
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No, it's not those who've slammed her custom Schiaparelli dress as 'basic' or 'tacky', but a seemingly awkward interaction with Nicole Kidman. Alongside Beyoncé and Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman served as a co-chair with the incumbent Anna Wintour, while Bezos and Sánchez were honorary chairs.
Despite the cameras all pointing at Sánchez and her dress, which was a nod to John Singer Sargent’s Madame X painting that hangs in the Met, that spotlight was soon snatched as Kidman wowed in a custom Chanel gown by Matthieu Blazy.
The Mirror US has pulled in a supposed lip-reading expert to decipher what went down between the pair when they stepped into a shared photo op. According to Nicola Hickling, Sánchez struggled to find her place in front of the paparazzi and mused: "I’ve got an issue… am I here?"
Although there's an admittedly iconic shot of Sánchez, Kidman, and Wintour, the Oscar-winning actress reportedly turned away and mouthed: "I don’t need approval."
With some awkward glances, a woman near Sánchez seemingly said to her: "You look good… oh, you’re being spoken to, Lauren."
The incident comes after Kidman was accused of 'photobombing' Bezos and Sánchez on the red carpet at March's Vanity Fair Oscars Party.
Sanchez’s attempt at emulating Sargent’s Madam X portrait was sorely lacking. She’s ridiculous.
— Mildredbakes! (@mildredbakes) May 4, 2026
Responding to the awkward moment, one person said: "Sanchez made sure to get that photo with Nicole…after she ruined her moment at the previous event… all cameras went to Nicole… jeez she can’t enjoy Bezos billions incognito 😖😖😖."
Another added: "Oh, to look basic next to Nicole Kidman. Must be 10million worth of disappointment."
A third concluded: "Look at Nicole not giving two sh*ts about Lauren."
Wintour previously defended Sánchez's involvement to CNN, telling the outlet she's a "wonderful asset to the museum and the event." The former Vogue editor-in-chief cheered Sánchez's appointment and concluded: "We’re very grateful for her incredible generosity, so we’re thrilled she’s part of the night."
Still, many called out the existence of the Met Gala at a time when the war in Iran rages on. There were similar complaints about spending billions to send the Artemis 2 crew on a flyby to the Moon.
The theme of this year's Met Gala was Costume Art, with some of the more unusual looks being Katy Perry's apparent wink to AI and Sarah Paulson's thinly veiled takedown of Bezos and the 1%. While Lauren Sánchez was talked about just as much, it might not necessarily be for the reasons she hoped.
