Zendaya and her husband, Tom Holland, will NOT be attending the Met Gala Ball in New York tonight.
The couple, who are thought to have recently married, were spotted strolling in Wimbledon village at lunchtime today.
Holland was wearing a black flat cap and passed largely unrecognised. The couple paused by a flower stall and a coffee shop.
Zendaya was among the stars at the renowned fundraiser last year, when she wore a white Louis Vuitton suit, and she has gone seven times previously.
But there was speculation over the weekend that she would not be attending the event, usually the biggest night in the fashion calendar, this year, because the event is now aligned with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, who is its sponsor.
Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sanchez Bezos, were welcomed as sponsors by Vogue boss Anna Wintour, a move which has drawn controversy as the couple appear to be close to President Trump personally and to the Trump administration.
Zendaya and her husband, Tom Holland, will NOT be attending the Met Gala Ball in New York tonight. The couple were spotted strolling in Wimbledon village at lunchtime on Monday. Above, at Hampton Court in 2023
Both Zendaya and supermodel Bella Hadid, another Met Gala regular, liked an Instagram video which included pointed remarks about the event’s sponsorship, stating, ‘If you are a celebrity and you attend the Met Gala and you wear the ‘ICE out’ pin, please note that I will be dragging you in perpetuity.
‘You cannot wear the ICE out pin to the Jeff Bezos-backed Met Gala.’
It added: ‘Jeff Bezos is part of the reason we’re in this f***ing mess. Jeff Bezos supports this f***ing mess.’
The British political activist group Everyone Hates Elon, which describes itself as ‘anti-billionaire’ has arranged a flyer campaign in New York to protest Bezos’ involvement.
Posters read: ‘Boycott the Bezos Met Gala’ and ‘Bezos Met Gala: Brought to you by the firm that powers ICE.’ The group’s name is inspired by the Tesla tech mogul Elon Musk.
Zendaya may simply be choosing to skip this year as she has just finished press tours for the TV show Euphoria and the movie, The Drama, and later this summer will be doing press tours for Dune Part 3 and Spiderman: Brand New Day.
Meryl Streep, who has an association with Wintour thanks to her role as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada, will also not be going, but she has never attended.
A spokesman said: ‘While she appreciates Vogue, Anna, and her incredible imagination and stamina, it has never quite been her scene.’
Zendaya was among the stars at the renowned fundraiser last year, when she wore a white Louis Vuitton suit, and she has gone seven times previously
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Streep’s daughters, Grace and Mamie Gummer, are attending, as are her Devil Wears Prada 2 co-stars Emily Blunt and Stanley Tucci.
Kim Kardashian is expected but will not be there with her new boyfriend, Lewis Hamilton, with friends of the racing driver confirming that he is not planning on showing up this year, even though he was a co-chairman last year.
Nicole Kidman will attend with her model daughter Sunday Rose.
Wintour has attempted to quell the backlash over the couple’s involvement, telling CNN in November: ‘I think Lauren is going to be a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event. I’m very grateful for her incredible generosity, and she’s a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion, so we’re thrilled she’s part of the night.’
The theme this year is Costume Art. Last year’s event raised a record $31 million for the museum.
