Mayor Zohran Mamdani leads the list of local political figures who won’t be worrying about what to wear for Monday night’s Met Gala.
The Mayor framed his decision to sit out the event as part of keeping a focus on “affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable,” in an interview with Hellgate last month.
On Monday, his office spotlighted in i-D some lesser-known New Yorkers in the fashion industry, including a tailor and union organizer, a Macy’s employee and former Amazon delivery employees.
“The fashion industry is made possible by the thousands of workers behind the scenes—seamstresses, tailors, retail workers, delivery drivers—whose immense talent and dedication deserves to be celebrated,” Mamdani said in a statement to the magazine. “New York is built by its workers, and the Mamdani administration believes they deserve to be seen with the same care and attention usually reserved for the red carpet.”
Council Speaker Julie Menin and Councilmembers Nantasha Williams and Gale Brewer are all expected to be in attendance. City Comptroller Mark Levine’s office confirmed to the Daily News that he’ll be there as well.
The offices of New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand confirmed neither politician plans attend. They’ve both skipped the event in the past as well.
The offices of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez haven’t responded to a request for comment. Ocasio-Cortez made waves in 2021 by showing up in an outfit with the words “Tax the Rich” written on it. The House Ethics Committee determined the representative from NY-14 should pay after determining what she declared for the outfit was short of the piece’s fair market rate.
Amazon boss Jeff Bezos — who’s been very friendly with the Trump administration — is an honorary chair at the gala, along with his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos. Protest signs objecting to the multi-billionaire pair’s involvement have showed up all over Manhattan in the days leading to to the gala, which benefits the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Anna Wintour and Lauren Sanchez Bezos attend the press conference for the 2026 Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Celebrities including model Bella Hadid and actor Taraji P. Henson joined other prominent figures in expressing their displeasure with Bezos’ politics on social media.
Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour are also co-chairing Monday’s celebration. Attendees are also expected to include Angela Bassett, Doja Cat, Lena Dunham, Misty Copeland and Zoë Kravitz.