Sarah Paulson’s Met Gala outfit has been branded a ‘huge dig’ at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez – after she revealed the ‘secret meaning’ behind her look.
The actress, 51, wore a billowing gray tulle gown, which was designed by indie fashion label Matieres Fecales and accessorised with a one-dollar bill mask.
During her time on the red carpet she revealed that the name of her Met Gala look was ‘the one percent,’ – an apparent jab at the United States’s ultra wealthy.
This year the fundraising gala has been marred by controversy due to billionaire couple Jeff and Lauren’s involvement as co-chairs.
Some believe it is a criticism of the billionaire and his wife – whose involvement reportedly led the likes of Zendaya and Meryl Streep to drop out of attending.
One commentator said on TikTok: ‘I can’t help but think this outfit is not a coincidence. I’m a firm believer that fashion and politics are intertwined. She just sent the biggest ‘f you’ to every billionaire out there.
‘She wore a gown from a collection where the whole point was to criticise the wealthy – I’m talking about the one per cent.
Sarah Paulson’s Met Gala outfit has been branded a ‘huge dig’ at Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez – after she revealed the ‘secret meaning’ behind her look
This year the fundraising gala has been marred by controversy due to billionaire couple Jeff and Lauren’s involvement as co-chairs
‘The two designers Hannah and Steve wanted to analyse the relationship between money and humanity and really bring into light how true power brings corruption.’
Comments under the post agreed with the commentator, as many disagreed with initial reactions to the look saying it was ‘tone deaf’ to wear the money mask.
They penned: ‘People are saying it’s tone deaf and I’m like??? Are yall not paying attention?’,
‘Omg I noticed this!!’, ‘In my opinion- she’s the ONLY one that hit the nail on the head.’,
‘definitely a statement love it.’, ‘Ugh we love Sarah.’
But while some called her money mask ‘bold,’ many felt it was hypocritical to make such a critique at an event only accessible to rich elites.
This year, it cost attendees a whopping $100,000 just to attend the fundraising gala.
Sarah herself is reportedly worth $12 million, which added to some of the online criticism directed at her display.
‘Great another millionaire telling us that we are blinded by wealth while also being wealthy,’ one frustrated fan tweeted on X (formerly Twitter).
Another added, ‘Bold choice to wear this to a gala chaired by one of the richest men on earth.’
Along with calling out the hypocrisy of her look’s message, several fans accused Paulson of straying from the 2026 theme, which was ‘Fashion Is Art.’
The dress code called on attendees to explore how designers use the human body as a blank canvas.
‘Sarah Paulson said ‘Met Gala theme?’ and then confidently ignored the question like it was optional homework,’ one X user wrote.
Meanwhile, many Paulson superfans came to the star’s defense as they insisted her outfit was ‘very Met Gala’ and they applauded her for ‘leaning into the concept.’
Jeff is a target of ire due to the controversy surrounding the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s expanded mass deportation initiative, which has contracts with Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Everyone Hates Elon’s campaign against the gala saw a host of stunts, including the projection at Jeff’s home, which featured a video of an Amazon worker.
As well as his work with ICE and Donald Trump affiliations, Amazon is famed for its ill-treatment of workers – with the video showing Mary, a 72-year-old Amazon worker from North Carolina giving a message for Met Gala chair Jeff.
Many online believed the look was a criticism of the ultra wealthy in the US
Other disagreed as they pointed out Sarah’s huge personal wealth
The actress, 51, wore a billowing gray tulle gown, was designed by indie fashion label Matieres Fecales and accessorised with a one-dollar bill mask
Mary said: ‘Jeff Bezos, my name is Mary Hill, I am a 72-year-old warehouse worker at one of your facilities. When we struggle from pay cheque to pay cheque, from week to week, it really angers me because if it weren’t for every associate in every Amazon facility he wouldn’t have all those zeros behind his name…
‘Shame on you Jeff Bezos. The people that need to be celebrated at the Met Gala are the workers. People like me. We deserve that celebration. We deserve so much more than we’re getting. There’s power in numbers and there’s more of us that you…
‘Remember ordinary people like us, we built it and we can tear it down. Think about that tonight after that bottle of champagne before you go to bed. We’re gonna keep going and we’re gonna keep building and we’re gonna keep protesting…
‘We’re gonna keep fighting this dystopian culture, we’re not stopping. We’re just getting cranked up. Enjoy your damn Gala.’
The backlash comes due to Jeff’s behemoth organisation having contracts with ICE and Amazon Web Services (AWS), reportedly hosting data for Palantir, which provides software to ICE for tracking and identifying immigrants.
As well as his ICE affiliation, Amazon’s alleged treatment of its workforce has also caused issues, with Everyone Hates Elon displaying posters around New York reading: ‘The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation.’
An industry insider told the Daily Mail prior to the event: ‘It’s, quite frankly, very hurtful and very disturbing for [the Bezoses] to be the face of this year’s Met Gala…
‘Something that is really meaningful to a lot of people and to such a highly regarded and highly respected institution. It feels like a real slap in the face to a lot of people.’
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit, also known as the Met Gala, falls on the first Monday in May every year.
Leading the charge was a powerhouse trio of co-chairs, with Beyonce, Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams joining forces with Vogue’s global editorial director Anna Wintour to oversee fashion’s biggest night.
It was the first time tennis superstar Williams has co-chaired the gala. Kidman previously co-chaired the star-studded event in 2003 as well as 2005, and Beyonce was an honorary chair in 2013.
The New York City museum paired historical and contemporary garments from the Costume Institute for the exhibition, which was loosely divided into three categories, including the classical and the nude body, aging and pregnant bodies, and the anatomical body.
The exhibit – set to unveil the Met’s sprawling new Conde M. Nast Galleries – was made possible by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez, who are the lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs.
‘The title ‘Costume Art’ refers to the history of the costume institute,’ Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s curator, said at a press conference.
Bolton, who selects the theme, said fashion has ‘the status of art because of, and not in spite of, its relation to the body.’
French luxury fashion house Yves Saint Laurent is also sponsoring the exhibit.
The 2026 Met Gala also had a host committee that included committee co-chairs Anthony Vaccarello and Zoe Kravitz, along with members Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Angela Bassett, Gwendoline Christie, Misty Copeland, Elizabeth Debicki, Lena Dunham, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor and more.
Costume Art will run from May 10, 2026 through January 10, 2027, following the Met Gala on May 4.
The Met Gala is a huge money-maker for the museum, and provides the Costume Institute with its main source of funding.
The 2026 Met Gala marked a major moment because it was the first one since Wintour technically stepped back from one of her famed roles at Vogue.
In June 2025, Wintour announced she was stepping down as the editor-in-chief of American Vogue after 37 years.
The global director for Vogue and global chief content officer at Conde Nast hired Chloe Malle as the new head of editorial content at Vogue.
Wintour has famously been incredibly hands-on with the Met Gala over the years, and is credited with making it the splashy A-list affair it has become, beloved by celebrities like Rihanna, the Kardashians, Blake Lively, Zendaya and more.
Last year, many stars did not attend the Met Gala, and some people thought it was to avoid making a faux pas because of the theme, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which was centered around the political and aesthetic constructs of Black dandyism.
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