Anna Wintour is weighing in on how the newly married Lauren Sánchez Bezos may factor into the 2026 Met Gala.

The longtime Vogue editor in chief, who stepped down from her post earlier this year but will still play an integral role in the Met Gala, told CNN that she thinks Sánchez Bezos will be a "wonderful asset" to the fundraiser.

"I think Lauren is going to be a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event," Wintour, 76, told the outlet. "[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."

Sánchez Bezos, who wed Amazon tycoon Jeff Bezos over the summer, will act as a donor this year for the Met Gala, a role usually occupied by high fashion houses. The move has sparked some backlash, given the Bezos' role as billionaires in an increasingly unequal society, and Jeff Bezos' proximity to President Donald Trump, whose inauguration the couple attended.

The Amazon founder also attended a dinner hosted by Trump, welcoming the crown prince of Saudi Arabia earlier this month. The visit itself sparked controversy, given the royal family's serious history of human rights abuses.

The pair first attended the Met Gala in 2024 together, when the theme was "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." This year's theme, "Costume Art," will mark the launch of the Metropolitan Museum of Art's nearly 12,000-square-foot Condé M. Nast Galleries, named for the magazine publisher whose company would go on to transform Vogue, Vanity Fair and The New Yorker.

The exhibition will focus on the "centrality of the dressed body in the museum's vast collection," pairing contemporary and historic garments from the Costume Institute's collection with paintings, sculptures and other art "spanning 5,000 years" from The Met.

When is the Met Gala?

A dress code for the night has yet to be announced. The Met Gala always takes place on the first Monday in May, which next year falls on Monday, May 4, 2026.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Anna Wintour defends Lauren Sánchez Bezos funding the 2026 Met Gala

Reporting by Anna Kaufman, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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