Anna Wintour Held 'Crisis Meeting' Before MET Gala as Backlash Erupted Over the Fashion Event's Lead Sponsor Amazon Founder Jeff Bezos

A storm is brewing ahead of the Met Gala, and Anna Wintour is right at the center of it, RadarOnline.com can reveal.

Insiders say the fashion power player is scrambling behind the scenes as outrage erupts over this year's controversial ties.

As criticism of this year's Met Gala snowballed, insiders said Wintour was caught off guard by how quickly the conversation turned.

"Anna is genuinely shocked by how hostile this has become," a source said, according to Rob Shuter's substack Naughty But Nice. "She never imagined the Met Gala would start being seen as a symbol of excess instead of a cultural institution."

According to insiders, Wintour quickly pulled together top advisers from Vogue and her inner circle for what was described as a "crisis-level" strategy session.

"There was a real panic meeting about messaging," one source said. "Anna wanted new talking points immediately. The tone inside was urgent."

Much of the outrage has centered on billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife Lauren Sanchez, whose high-profile involvement in this year's gala triggered backlash both online and on the ground in New York City.

Activists have begun organizing visible protests near the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with flyers calling for a boycott and accusing the event of celebrating extreme wealth.

"The movement is building because people are angry," one organizer said, claiming critics are no longer willing to ignore the power and politics tied to the guest list.

The campaign has been linked to an anti-billionaire collective that has previously targeted figures like Elon Musk, and organizers have made clear they plan to disrupt the narrative surrounding fashion's biggest night.

Behind closed doors, insiders said the optics of Bezos' involvement have become a major concern.

"The Bezos–Sánchez moment tipped it," one source said. "It stopped feeling aspirational and started feeling like a billionaire circus."

The controversy has also reignited broader criticism about who the gala actually serves — with some questioning whether the event still reflects culture or simply wealth.

Even Wintour's public defense of Sánchez has done little to quiet critics.

Wintour told CNN: "I think Lauren is going to be a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event."

She added: "I'm very grateful for her incredible generosity, and she's a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion, so we're thrilled she's part of the night."

At the same time, sources said deeper issues are surfacing about the gala's long-term relevance.

Ticket demand has softened, with some insiders claiming brands are no longer as eager to pay sky-high prices for tables as they once were.

"Designers aren't buying like they used to," one insider said. "The demand just isn't there."

Others pointed to a larger shift in the industry, where influencers and digital creators now generate more buzz than a single red carpet moment.

"Why spend that kind of money when you can reach a bigger audience online?" another source said.

As one insider bluntly put it: "If Vogue doesn't control the conversation anymore, neither does the Met Gala."