Met Gala organizers will be missing a familiar face this year: New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Page Six reported that Mamdani and First Lady Rama Duwaji will not attend the May 4 event, breaking a longstanding tradition of mayoral appearances at the fashion world’s biggest night.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art extends an invitation to the city’s mayor annually, but insiders revealed Mamdani declined.
“He’s not coming,” one source told Page Six. “And it would be foolish if he did … it goes against everything he believes in.”
This year’s gala is financially backed by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sánchez-Bezos, who are serving as lead donors and honorary co-chairs.
Mamdani has previously stated, “I don’t think that we should have billionaires,” reflecting his ideological stance.
Past mayors have embraced the event: Eric Adams attended in 2022 with a custom “End Gun Violence” jacket, Bill de Blasio appeared in 2021, and Michael Bloomberg was a frequent guest during his tenure.
Despite Mamdani’s absence, the gala will still draw major names, with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour on the host committee.
The theme this year is “Costume Art,” with a dress code of “Fashion is Art.”
