Mamdani is staying true to his progressive values by skipping an event backed by billionaires, demonstrating that his political platform extends to his personal choices.
Sources say 'it would be foolish' for Mamdani to attend given his anti-billionaire stance, while a well-placed socialite thinks he's making a mistake by missing 'a very New York moment.'
The Met Gala takes place Monday, May 4, 2026. Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez-Bezos are lead donors and honorary co-chairs. Mamdani, 34, has publicly stated 'I don't think that we should have billionaires.'
Mamdani's decision to skip the Met Gala is a calculated political statement that prioritizes his progressive credentials over NYC mayoral tradition—but it may cost him cultural cache in a city that lives for this event.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and First Lady Rama Duwaji will not be attending this year's Met Gala on Monday, May 4, sources tell Page Six. The 34-year-old mayor, who has built his political platform on progressive values including criticism of billionaire wealth concentration, is choosing to skip the annual fundraising gala that has long been a fixture on the NYC mayoral calendar.
"He's not coming," said a source close to the administration. "And it would be foolish if he did... can you imagine? It goes against everything he believes in." The source's emphasis on Mamdani's ideological stance points to the elephant in the room: this year's Met Gala is being financially subsidized by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos—currently the world's third richest man—and his wife Lauren Sánchez-Bezos, who have been named lead donors and honorary co-chairs of the event that raises money for the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the Met.
Mamdani has been outspoken about his position on extreme wealth. "I don't think that we should have billionaires," he has said publicly, making his decision to skip an event bankrolled by one of the world's wealthiest men a logical extension of his political philosophy. The mayor's snub breaks with a longstanding tradition of NYC mayors attending the prestigious event—Eric Adams turned up in 2022, Bill de Blasio attended in 2021, and Mike Bloomberg was a regular fixture during his 2002-2013 tenure and still attends annually.
Not everyone thinks Mamdani is making the right call. "It's such a New York institution," a well-placed New York socialite told Page Six. "I think he should go. It's a very New York moment." The tension between political principle and cultural participation illustrates the delicate balance facing any mayor of New York City—a global capital of fashion and finance that equally values its progressive cred and its love of spectacle.
Meanwhile, Anna Wintour recently praised First Lady Duwaji in a Vogue interview with Meryl Streep, calling the 28-year-old illustrator "full of admiration" and noting she "looks so cool and wears a lot of vintage—young and modern and entirely herself." Despite the Vogue editor-in-chief's warm words, the first couple will watch this year's "Costume Art" themed gala from the sidelines—a choice that speaks louder than any red carpet appearance could.
This year's host committee includes Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour, with co-chairs Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz leading a star-studded roster that includes Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Elizabeth Debicki, LISA, Sam Smith, and many more. While Mamdani skips the event, attendees will include Julia Garner, Alexa Chung, Gabrielle Union, Rebecca Hall, and NBA star Jimmy Butler.
