Taraji P. Henson Criticizes Celebrities at The Met Gala 

The famous Met Gala happened in New York on Monday, May 4, this year, but not every star was in attendance. 

Taraji P. Henson, known for her roles in “The Color Purple” and “Hidden Figures,” took to social media three days before the event to question the celebrities who attended the event. 

“I am just like WTF are we doing!?!?!?!,” the actress commented on an Instagram reel of writer and comic Meredith Lynch. 

Lynch stated that she would be “dragging” celebrities who wear an “ICE Out” protest pin to the gala in her video.  

Lynch titled the video “A warning for celebs” in which she credited Jeff Bezos for being “part of the reason we’re in this mess.” The writer criticized the Metropolitan Museum of Art for accepting the sponsorship of Bezos.  

The reel currently has over 300,000 views and thousands of likes to match, including likes from Emmy-winning “The Bear’s” star Liza Colón Zayas and Bella Hadid, according to USA Today. However, Hadid no longer has the reel liked. 

Henson later posted an Instagram story featuring a post contrasting Jeff Bezos superyacht and the inside of an Amazon warehouse. 

Other notable stars not attending this year’s gala are Zendaya and Lady Gaga who are both big talks of the town for their stunning attires.  

Zendaya was reportedly spotted in London, according to Just Jared. The actress is also just did two press tours simultaneously for her roles in “The Drama” with Robert Pattison and the third season of “Euphoria.” 

Bezos Was the Gala’s Main Sponsor

Alongside the usual excitement surrounding the yearly fashion-forward event, the Met Gala was surrounded by a lot of controversy because of the involvement of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos. 

The billionaire couple were the lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs of the gala this year, donating over $10 million, according to NewsBreak.  

Beyoncé, Venus Williams and Nicole Kidman also served as honorary co-chairs of the gala. 

According to CBS News, tickets to attend this year’s gala cost $100,000 each, an increase of $25,000 from last year. A person also can’t simply buy a ticket but must be personally invited to attend. 

The event usually hosts around 600 attendees, according to Vogue UK. If accurate to this year, that means the event made around $60 million.  

The Anti-Met Outside

Before the event, multiple posters were put up around New York City, saying “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala” and “The Bezos Met Gala. Brought to you by the firm that powers ICE.” 

The posters and signs were put up by members of an activist group called “Everyone Hates Elon.” 

The group also smuggled in hundreds of bottles of fake pee into the museum before the day of the event, according to their Instagram post. 

Protesters gathered outside of the gala’s red carpet, where celebrities walked and showed off their designer clothing. An event called the “Ball Without Billionaires” popped up in New York City on hours before the Met Gala was scheduled to start.  

The event, featuring workers from Amazon, Whole Foods and Washington Post, aimed to call people to boycott this year’s Met Gala.  

Multiple participants wore outfits designed by community members and walked on a red carpet of their own. 

During this, founder of the Amazon Labor Union, Chris Smalls was arrested for walking outside of the event with a sign that read “Amazon refuses to negotiate a contract with its union at JFK 8. It’s been over 1500 days! I spent five days in Israeli prison because Amazon invests in Genocide!!! #FreePalestine.” 

He allegedly attempted to jump over a barricade and was then tackled by a large group of officers, according to The Independent. 

There are multiple videos circulating on social media of Smalls’ arrest. According to The Independent, the New York Police Department has not confirmed that Smalls was the person arrested. 

“Everyone Hates Elon” commented on Smalls’ most recent Instagram post “FREE @chris.smalls_”