Overview
- Mamdani confirmed in a Hell Gate interview that he and first lady Rama Duwaji will not attend, after Page Six reported they were invited but planned to sit it out.
- He said his priority is affordability in the city and he also called the Metropolitan Museum of Art an incredible institution.
- The move departs from the expectation that mayors appear at the gala, though Eric Adams skipped the red carpet from 2023 through 2025.
- This year’s gala uses the “Costume Art” theme with Beyoncé, Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman, and Anna Wintour as co-chairs, and Jeff and Lauren Sánchez Bezos serving as honorary chairs who have faced protests.
- The event funds the Met’s Costume Institute and launches the May 10 exhibition in the new Condé M. Nast Galleries, with Town & Country reporting donations already above $42 million.