Anna Wintour has got the Bezoses\u2019 backs.<\/p>\n
The Vogue global editorial director defended Lauren S\u00e1nchez and Jeff Bezos amid fierce backlash over their newly announced role as lead sponsors of the 2026 Met Gala<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Lauren is going to be a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event,\u201d Wintour, 76, told CNN<\/a> in a red carpet interview on Sunday at the Franca Fund gala in Doha, Qatar.<\/p>\n Anna Wintour defended Lauren S\u00e1nchez and Jeff Bezos on Sunday after their 2026 Met Gala sponsorship drew online criticism. Getty Images<\/p>\n The Vogue global editorial director called the philanthropist and former journalist \u201ca great lover of costume and obviously of fashion.\u201d Getty Images for The Met Museum\/Vogue<\/p>\n Wintour, 76, spoke to CNN on the red carpet at the inaugural Franca Fund Gala last weekend in Doha, Qatar. AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re very grateful for her incredible generosity,\u201d she continued. \u201cShe\u2019s a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion, so we\u2019re thrilled she\u2019s part of the night.\u201d<\/p>\n The endorsement comes after the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced last week that the Bezoses would bankroll next year\u2019s Costume Institute exhibition<\/a> and accompanying gala alongside secondary sponsors Saint Laurent and Cond\u00e9 Nast. <\/p>\n The theme of the May 4 f\u00eate and spring show is \u201cCostume Art,\u201d exploring the role of the \u201cdressed body\u201d throughout the museum\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n The Vogue boss said she\u2019s \u201cthrilled\u201d to have S\u00e1nchez involved in fashion\u2019s biggest night. Getty Images for The Met Museum\/Vogue<\/p>\n The billionaire couple was announced as lead sponsors of next year\u2019s Met Gala alongside Saint Laurent and Cond\u00e9 Nast, prompting swift backlash. Getty Images for The Met Museum\/Vogue<\/p>\n The news of the Bezoses\u2019 involvement sparked swift outcry on social media.<\/p>\n Instagram users flooded the museum\u2019s announcement<\/a> of the exhibition with comments arguing the couple is attempting to \u201cbuy\u201d cultural legitimacy.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is such an iconic theme and it\u2019s so so so sad to see it gutted and trashed by the choice in sponsorship,\u201d one user wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Metropolitan Museum of Art, SOLD!!! to the highest bidder,\u201d another chimed in. \u201cHow distasteful.\u201d<\/p>\n Critics on Instagram argued the billionaire couple is attempting to \u201cbuy culture\u201d and questioned their fashion credentials for such a prominent role. Getty Images<\/p>\n The Bezoses made their Met Gala debut together in 2024, with S\u00e1nchez wearing a custom Oscar de la Renta gown. WireImage<\/p>\n Tech titans footing the bill for the Costume Institute isn\u2019t exactly new territory \u2014 Amazon sponsored the event back in 2012, and TikTok, Instagram, Apple, and Yahoo have all written checks in years past. Billionaires Stephen A. Schwarzman and his wife, Christine, underwrote the 2018 exhibition. <\/p>\n The Bezoses have also been on the fashion offensive this year, sitting front row at Paris Fashion Week<\/a> and palling around with the Kardashian-Jenners at exclusive brand dinners <\/a>and industry f\u00eates. <\/p>\n The former journalist, 55, and her Amazon founder husband, 61, skipped the 2025 Met Gala as they were preparing for their June nuptials, but they made their red-carpet debut as a couple at the 2024 event. S\u00e1nchez also appeared on a digital cover of Vogue this June in her white lace Dolce & Gabbana wedding dress.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t