Zendaya's close aide reveals why the 'Euphoria' actress skipped Met Gala 2026

It was the first Monday in May, which meant the red carpet was set to be graced by many A-list stars at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's annual fundraiser. But much to fans' dismay, one of the most anticipated attendees, Zendaya, was missing. The 'Euphoria' actress graced the event for the past couple of years, drawing praise for her outfits, and her fans were looking forward to seeing her in the Costume Art-themed soiree. But this year's Met Gala has been at the center of controversy after naming Jeff Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, as honorary chairs. With boycott calls raging through social media and the streets of New York, it was rumored that Zendaya also skipped the event due to political reasons. However, the reason was later revealed to be different. 

The annual Met Gala has proven especially contentious, with strong opposition to the Bezoses starting immediately after they were announced as financial sponsors in February. Calls for a boycott of the event raged amid a surging anti-rich sentiment nationwide and in New York City, the event's liberal home. The outrage seemingly gained momentum after NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would skip the gala to keep his focus on "affordability", according to the New York Times. In the weeks leading up to the event, anti-Bezos campaigns erupted in the streets, subways, and online, with people calling the event the "Amazon Prime Gala" or "Bezos Ball." Reports of many fashion icons being upset appeared in tabloid pages, including rumors of some past guests boycotting the event, and one of them was Zendaya. 

However, those rumors were quashed by ELLE, which reported the actress was taking a break from public appearances after doing two press tours near-simultaneously for 'The Drama' and 'Euphoria Season 3'. The outlet learned that the actress wasn't set to be in New York at the time of the event, and so she chose to skip it. On the red carpet, Zendaya's stylist, Law Roach, with whom she walked the red carpet for the past several years, told Zuri Hall during 'Live From E!: Met Gala 2026' that "she's busy."  While Law didn't elaborate on what TV or film projects she was working on, Just Jared reported that Zendaya and Tom Holland were seen in London on Monday. The report was seemingly confirmed by nail artist Marina Dobic after she posted a video of the "classy French tips" she did for Zendaya. 

Meanwhile, another anticipated guest, Meryl Streep, reportedly skipped the event due to political reasons. 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' star had previously been invited to be the co-chair by her long-time friend Anna Wintour (the chair of the Met Gala), and according to The Hollywood Reporter, the Academy Award winner skipped the event because of billionaire Jeff Bezos's involvement as a sponsor. While she never attended the event in the past years, she was reportedly invited to be co-chair this year too, but Amy Odell, who wrote the book on Anna Wintour, expressed that she believes Streep is opposed to the Amazon founder Bezos' involvement, and passed on Wintour's invitation. However, the outlet did not confirm the same.