Bella Hadid has hit out at stars set to attend Monday’s Met Gala over Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’s position as co-chairman of the event.
The supermodel, 29, who has attended the gala five times, liked a video by internet personality Meredith Lynch on Instagram stating: ‘You cannot wear the ICE out pin to the Jeff Bezos-backed MET Gala. Jeff Bezos is part of the reason we’re in this mess.’
The comment was in reference to the controversy surrounding the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)’s expanded mass deportation initiative under the Trump administration earlier this year.
Bella is joined in her sentiments by stars including Zendaya, who is snubbing the fashion world’s biggest event and Meryl Streep, who pulled out as co-chairman.
The backlash comes due to Jeff’s behemoth organisation having contracts with ICE and Amazon Web Services (AWS), reportedly hosting data for Palantir, which provides software to ICE for tracking and identifying immigrants.
Bella Hadid has hit out at stars set to attend Monday’s Met Gala over Amazon boss Jeff Bezos’s position as co-chairman of the event. Above, the supermodel over the weekend
The supermodel liked a video by internet personality Meredith Lynch on Instagram stating: ‘You cannot wear the ICE out pin to the Jeff Bezos-backed MET Gala. Jeff Bezos is part of the reason we’re in this mess’
She liked the video, leading to a slew of reactions from fans writing: ‘Bella Hadid seemingly confirmed she won’t be attending this year’s Met Gala after liking an Instagram reel calling out celebs who protest ice but still attend events tied to Jeff Bezos, who is reportedly highly involved this year.’
‘Bella Hadid liked a video saying it doesn’t make sense to wear a pin that says “ICE out” and still attend the Met Gala, since this year’s event is sponsored by Jeff Bezos. This lowers our chances of seeing her on the carpet on Monday!’
Actress Taraji P Henson also agreed with the video, writing in the comments: ‘I am so confused by some ppl that are going. I am just like WTF ARE WE DOING!?!?!?!’
This year’s gala has faced mass scrutiny following the announcement that Amazon founder Jeff and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, would serve as lead sponsors and honorary chairmen, leading to the stars’ acts of defiance.
As well as his ICE affiliation, Amazon’s alleged treatment of its workforce has also caused issues, with activist group Everyone Hates Elon displaying posters around New York reading: ‘The Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by worker exploitation.’
The backlash comes due to Jeff’s behemoth organisation having contracts with ICE and Amazon Web Services (AWS), reportedly hosting data for Palantir, which provides software to ICE for tracking and identifying immigrants
An industry insider told the Daily Mail: ‘It’s, quite frankly, very hurtful and very disturbing for [the Bezoses] to be the face of this year’s Met Gala…
‘Something that is really meaningful to a lot of people and to such a highly regarded and highly respected institution. It feels like a real slap in the face to a lot of people.’
The Daily Mail has been told that Meryl was rumoured to have been one of the Met Gala’s co-chairmen this year, but allegedly declined to do so because of the Bezoses’ bankrolling and presiding over the party as guests of honour.
Internal drama is just as rampant, the fashion industry insider said, as there’s been dissent quietly brewing among those involved with planning the annual event – a fundraiser for the museum’s fashion collection.
Bell has attended the glitzy gala five times, including the 2022 event
The Daily Mail has been told that Meryl Streep was rumoured to have been one of the Met Gala’s co-chairmen this year, but allegedly declined to do so because of the Bezoses
They explained: ‘The fashion industry and the people who work in it are, by and large, very liberal. Anna has always publicly supported Democratic candidates for president and Vogue endorsed Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris…
‘Even the politicians that we’ve seen attend the Met Gala over the years have been overwhelmingly liberal.
‘To have a couple that aligns themselves with and have contributed a million dollars to inaugurating a president who has sought to eviscerate DEI, dismantle Roe v Wade, disenfranchise Black voters and crack down on immigration in a way that is so inhumane and horrific, rubs a lot of people the wrong way.’
Not that the couple are not used to controversy.
Their lavish Venice wedding was met with protests last June, while the Bezos-owned privatised space endeavour, Blue Origin, which saw Sanchez-Bezos go to space with an all-female crew in April 2025, was derided as ‘gluttonous’.
