Taraji P. Henson has called out celebrities for attending this year’s Met Gala, declaring: ‘WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!’
The fashion event of the year has faced backlash for embracing Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who, alongside his wife Lauren Sanchez, was named as an honorary chair.
The billionaire’s role was officially announced months in advance by Vogue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with his involvement reportedly including major funding contributions and a prominent position at the high-profile charity event.
Meryl Streep, Zendaya, and Bella Hadid were just some of the names who decided not to attend the event held in New York City on Sunday.
Following the star-studded event, the Empire actress took aim at celebrities who did attend, with the likes of Beyonce, Katy Perry, and Blake Lively taking to the red carpet.
Henson, 55, co-signed a social media post from Meredith Lynch titled ‘a warning for celebs,’ in which she cautioned those attending to not wear ICE Out pins given that Bezos is ‘part of the reason we’re in this f*****g mess.’
Lynch added it’s ‘wild to me that this event is sponsored by Jeff Bezos, who has backed Trump, who has slashed arts funding.’
Sharing her thoughts on the event, Henson commented in response, alongside clapping emojis: ‘I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!’
The Oscar nominated actress then shared a photo from EU reproductive rights organization My Voice My Choice that juxtaposed Bezos’ $500 million superyacht with Amazon workers in a warehouse. She captioned the Instagram Story with: ‘Enjoy the MET 😒.’
Henson regularly attends the event, which this year interpreted its 2026 theme as Fashion is Art.
Activist groups staged a number of protests across New York, including actions targeting the gala’s high-profile sponsors and billionaire backers.
The backlash gained further visibility in April when newly elected mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would not attend, citing a focus on affordability rather than high-profile fundraising events.
In the lead-up to the gala, criticism spilled out across the city, from social media to subway stations, where the event has been mockingly dubbed the ‘Amazon Prime Gala’ and ‘Bezos Ball’.
Activist group Everyone Hates Elon was among those leading calls for a boycott, staging a series of attention-grabbing protests across New York.
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