Anna Wintour, Al Sharpton and stars talk fashion on Met Gala carpet

The Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art brought together major figures including Anna Wintour, Al Sharpton, Beyoncé, and others for its “Fashion is Art” theme supporting the Costume Institute fundraiser, which raised about $31 million. The event also featured co-chairs and hosts such as Nicole Kidman and Venus Williams, with Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos among the honorary chairs amid widespread celebrity appearances and cultural commentary.

Hussein Al Waaile, Roselle Chen, Shaurya Thapa/Reuters

5 May 2026 at 08:19:40

Anna Wintour, Al Sharpton and stars talk fashion on Met Gala carpet

Anna Wintour speaks to the media during the Met Gala, an annual fundraising gala held for the benefit of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute with this year's theme 'Costume Art' in New York City, New York, U.S., May 4, 2026.

Daniel Cole/Reuters

Former Vogue editor Anna Wintour and civil rights activist Al Sharpton were among the high-profile figures to walk the carpet at New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual Met Gala on Monday (May 4).

The annual fundraiser, held on the first Monday in May, raises money for the museum's Costume Institute and is timed to celebrate the opening of its major spring fashion exhibition. This year's dress code is "Fashion is Art," inviting guests to interpret fashion as an embodied art form. The event raised about $31 million in 2025, the biggest gross in its 77-year history, according to museum officials.

Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour serve as co-chairs for the Costume Institute fundraiser.

Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos, lead sponsors of the gala and exhibition, serve as honorary chairs.

Sharpton was dressed in a black-and-gold suit designed by Aisha McShaw. When asked about his opinion on the Bezos's involvement, he told Reuters: "I think that every year I've come, they've had very wealthy people that supported MAGA and it didn't stop them from coming. They don't have enough money to keep me from talking to the artists I came to support. I'm here to support Venus (Williams) and Beyonce. And I salute Anna Wintour for making them co-chairs despite the controversy."

U.S. Vogue editor Chloe Malle walked the carpet in a custom orange gown with a ruffled train and sleeves. Speaking to Reuters, Malle said the annual fundraiser is "exclusive in that there's only a certain number of people invited, but it is very inclusive because it's such a major cultural moment that people love to be part of and comment on together."

Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz will co-chair the gala host committee, whose members include Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Angela Bassett, Misty Copeland, LISA, Sam Smith and Teyana Taylor.

-Hussein Al Waaile, Roselle Chen, Shaurya Thapa/Reuters