Jeff Bezos' Met Gala Power Move — Amazon Billionaire 'Banned' Major Star From Fashion's Biggest Night For 'Mocking' Him in Hit Movie
Jeff Bezos reportedly had an A-lister banned from the 2026 Met Gala.
May 7 2026, Published 7:20 p.m. ET
Billionaire mogul Jeff Bezos allegedly flexed his power as the chief financial backer of the 2026 Met Gala to blackball an A-list star, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
The Amazon founder reportedly shelled out a staggering $10million, so he and his wife, Lauren Sánchez, could land the coveted honorary co-chair titles at fashion's biggest night. Insiders claim one actor was iced out after starring in a recent role that hit far too close to home, featuring deeply unflattering similarities to Bezos himself.
Justin Theroux Allegedly Blackballed From 2026 Met Gala by Jeff Besos
Bezos reportedly banned Justin Theroux from the Met Gala over his not so subtle take on the billionaire
Justin Theroux is the star who was allegedly banned from the Manhattan bash on May 4 after his character in The Devil Wears Prada 2, billionaire Benji Barnes, was widely believed to be based on Bezos.
"Justin’s character is Jeff, plain and simple," a source dished to Hollywood insider Rob Shuter, who wrote about it on Substack.
"And Jeff has zero sense of humor when the joke is about him – or Lauren. He can laugh at almost anything else. But mock him, mock her, and you're done."
Theroux plays a divorced billionaire tycoon who undergoes a dramatic glow-up by shedding weight and becoming a far more polished, stylish power player after falling for Emily Blunt's glamorous fashionista, Emily Charlton, a storyline some claim hit a nerve with Bezos.
The billionaire famously morphed from a skinny, socially awkward tech mogul into a buffed-up luxury-loving alpha male after getting together with curvaceous vixen Sánchez in 2019 and divorcing his wife of 25 years, Mackenzie Scott.
Justin Theroux's 'DWP2' Character Had So Many Similarities to Jeff Bezos
Bezos underwent a significant glow-up after getting together with Lauren Sánchez.
"Jeff did not find it funny," a second source claimed. "Not the parody, not the performance, not the Lauren angle – none of it. And once Jeff was offended, Justin was never getting through that door."
In the film, there's another tip to Bezos' life: Benji's ex-wife, played by Lucy Liu, dedicates her life to philanthropy post-divorce, just as Scott did with the $38.3 billion she got in the former couple's divorce settlement.
Blunt's character is also the "star" of the high-powered coupling of the fashion queen and billionaire, becoming a chief executive at Dior. It's not far from how Sánchez has been desperate to reinvent herself as a patron of fashion and design.
There had even been reports in 2025 that Bezos was circling an attempt to purchase Vogue's parent company, Condé Nast, as a wedding present to Sánchez. The rumors intensified after the former TV news reporter was given the digital cover of Vogue following the couple's June 2025 nuptials.
In the film, Benji attempts to buy the fictional Runway magazine so Emily can run it.
Justin Theroux Has Been a Frequent Attendee of Past Met Galas
Theroux and wife Nicole Brydon Bloom attended the NYC premiere of 'The Devil Wears Prada 2,' several days after she gave birth to their son.
Theroux has been a popular presence at the Met Gala, having attended four times. He walked the stylish steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2004, 2010, 2018, and 2019.
The Running Point star was unable to attend the 2025 event due to his work schedule.
Theroux was likely in town, as he calls Lower Manhattan home. His wife, Nicole Brydon Bloom, just gave birth to the couple's first child, a son, in mid-April, and the duo walked the New York City premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 on April 20.
Justin Theroux Called His Jeff Bezos-esque Character an 'Idiot'
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Theroux said he had so much 'fun' playing the 'idiot' character that so seemingly was based on Bezos.
Theroux boasted that he had a blast playing Benji and that the Bezos-esque character was an "idiot."
"The most fun thing about playing him was how silly he was," Theroux said during the film's promotion. "He’s such an idiot."
"To be able to be ridiculous, wear ridiculous clothes – I have a really ridiculous hair thing going on, I’m bald, but then it’s like my hair’s falling out – that was the most fun," the actor raved.
