Backlash to John Galliano exhibition plans puts 2027 Met Gala date in play
After a tribute sparked controversy, the Met Gala is now eyeing a 2027 date change — and you’ll want to know who’s at the center of it.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is weighing a date change for the 2027 Met Gala as backlash mounts over a planned Costume Institute tribute to John Galliano, the designer convicted by a French court in 2011 for antisemitic outbursts. The current target, May 3, 2027—the first Monday in May—falls on Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day), a flashpoint that’s intensified criticism of honoring Galliano.
The Galliano retrospective is designed as a nine-month exhibition from the Met’s Costume Institute, with the gala serving as its opening night. Under the guidance of Anna Wintour—Vogue’s global editorial director and a Met trustee—trustees and board members have been scrambling to contain the fallout as the plan draws louder objections.
Inside the museum, one option on the table is moving the gala off its long-standing “first Monday in May” tradition to the following week. No final decision has been communicated.
Donor pressure
In recent days, prominent Jewish leaders and museum patrons have pressed the Met to change course, and some donors have reportedly warned they’ll pull their gifts if the Galliano show proceeds as scheduled. Outreach has gone directly to senior leadership, including:
- Anna Wintour, Met trustee
- Max Hollein, the Met’s director
- Andrew Bolton, Costume Institute curator
New York City Council member Julie Menin wrote to Hollein, Bolton and Wintour on Thursday, August 27, calling the plan to spotlight Galliano “a serious mistake.”
“a serious mistake.” — Julie Menin, in a letter dated Aug. 27
A bruising 2026 backdrop
The timing debate arrives after a turbulent 2026 gala, when Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez served as lead sponsors and honorary co-chairs. That year’s event drew protests and some celebrity boycotts tied to economic inequality and Amazon labor practices, underscoring how the Met’s biggest night has increasingly become a magnet for controversy.
For now, museum leaders are actively discussing pushing the 2027 gala one week later, while the Galliano exhibition remains on the Costume Institute’s calendar.