Abbott Elementary actress Lisa Ann Walter publicly attacked Amazon founder Jeff Bezos on Monday, branding him “Temu Lex Luthor” during a worker-led counter-event held as the 2026 Met Gala got underway in New York City.
Walter, who plays Melissa Schemmenti on the hit comedy series and serves as a vice president of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) Los Angeles Local, co-hosted the Ball Without Billionaires alongside fashion editor Gabriella Karefa-Johnson. The event was staged in the Meatpacking District by a coalition of labour groups including the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the Strategic Organizing Center, and the Amazon Labor Union, and featured workers from Amazon, Starbucks, The Washington Post, and Uber as models dressed by emerging and immigrant designers.
Speaking from the runway, Walter turned her fire on Bezos, who alongside his wife Lauren Sanchez Bezos is serving as an honorary chair and lead sponsor of this year’s Met Gala, a role the couple reportedly secured for $10 million. “How did an event that’s supposed to celebrate creativity, artistry and fabulousness in all genders end up revolving around this Temu Lex Luthor, who profits off of pushing working people to their very brink?” she said.
Walter went further, accusing the billionaire of turning one of fashion’s most celebrated evenings into a personal showcase. “The man thinks he can buy cool,” she added.
The protest reflects wider discontent over Bezos’s involvement, with critics pointing to Amazon’s labour practices, its cloud computing contract with United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and questions about corporate influence over cultural institutions. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced he would not attend the gala, citing affordability concerns, while guerrilla boycott posters appeared across the city’s subway system throughout April.
Lauren Sanchez Bezos walked the Met Gala red carpet on Monday evening without her husband. The 2026 edition of the event is themed Fashion Is Art, with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour listed as co-chairs. Bezos and Wintour have not publicly responded to the criticism.
