Mayor Zoran Mamdani and First Lady Rama Duwaj have been invited to the Met Gala, but sources tell Page Six they will not attend.
New York City’s mayor is traditionally invited to attend the lavish event each year by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but Mamdani, 34, will reportedly not be joining Condé Nast’s Anna Wintour and fellow celebrity guests on Monday, May 4.
“He’s not coming,” the source said. “It would be stupid if he did that… Can you imagine? It goes against everything he believes in.”
In fact, the event is being sponsored by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, currently the world’s third richest person, and his wife Lauren Sanchez-Bezos, who have been named lead donors and honorary co-chairs of the gala to raise funds for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Anna Wintour Costume Center.
“I don’t think there is a need for billionaires,” Mamdani said.
Nevertheless, a well-placed figure in New York society told Page Six, “This is such a New York landmark. I think he should leave. It’s a very New York moment.”
And New York City’s mayors frequently attend the annual ball. In 2022, Eric Adams’ first year in office, he and his partner Tracy Collins showed up wearing custom Laolu Sembanjo jackets featuring a New York City motif and the message “End Gun Violence.”
Bill de Blasio celebrated the resurgence of Brooklyn’s fashion industry post-pandemic by wearing a tuxedo by Brooklyn designer Drew Beckenberg in 2021, his final year at Gracie Mansion.
Mike Bloomberg was a frequent guest during his long tenure as mayor from 2002 to 2013, and still attends the ball every year with his daughter Georgina and partner Diana Taylor.
We reached out to representatives from Mamdani, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and Vogue.
The disdain for Mamdani comes after Wintour recently praised his 28-year-old wife.
In an interview with Meryl Streep for Vogue magazine released last week, Wintour said, “I’m so impressed with New York City’s new first lady, because she looks so cool and wears so much vintage stuff. She’s young and modern and totally herself.”
Mr. Winter seems to ignore the fact that Mr. Dowaj, an illustrator, liked a social media post calling the October 7 atrocity a “gang rape hoax” that was “fabricated” by The New York Times.
Older posts show Douwaj railing against American soldiers, praising Palestinian terrorists, mourning the death of a Hamas propagandist, and even dropping nuclear bombs and anti-gay slurs.
Far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez infamously flouted House ethics rules by accepting more than $3,700 in rental clothing and other gifts for her infamous appearance at the 2021 Met Gala. That included a flashy dress with the words “Tax The Rich” embroidered in blood-red letters and a free ticket to her then-boyfriend Riley Roberts.
The House Ethics Committee accused the lawmaker of failing to comply with gift regulations, but said it would not further sanction AOC.
Meanwhile, Meryl Streep, who plays a character based on Wintour in the upcoming film The Devil Wears Prada 2, is said to not be attending, but co-star Anne Hathaway is expected to attend.
Page Six previously reported that “Weapons” star Julia Garner will walk the red carpet with Alexa Chung, Gabrielle Union, Rebecca Hall and NBA’s Jimmy Butler.
This year’s theme is “Costume Art” and the dress code is “Fashion is Art.”
Organizers include Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour.
YSL designer Anthony Vaccarello and his muse Zoe Kravitz have collaborated with Sabrina Carpenter, Doja Cat, Gwendoline Christie, Alex Consani, Misty Copeland and Elisabeth She also co-chairs the gala’s organizing committee, which includes Sue Debicki, Lena Dunham, Paloma Elsesser, LISA, Vogue’s new editor-in-chief Chloe Malle, Sam Smith, Teyana Taylor, Lauren Wasser, Anna Weyant, and Aja. Wilson and Isolt.
