Sarah Paulson Wears $1 Billion Eyewear at Met Gala 2026
Sarah Paulson turned the 2026 Met Gala into a sharper political read than fashion show, wearing a $1 billion eyewear accessory across her eyes. The 51-year-old actress arrived at a Bezos-backed event already under scrutiny after Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez were announced as sponsors.
Paulson's Gray Tulle Look
Paulson wore a tulle-heavy gray dress with a tight bodice and ballgown skirt, topped with a giant tulle bow across her chest. She finished it with arm-length white gloves, a choker necklace, and eyewear that sat across her eyes like sunglasses or a blindfold.
The accessory did the heavy lifting. Fans read it as a dig at Bezos, and one person wrote, "She encapsulates all that is wrong with this gala," while another said, "I think she's pointing out that some people are blinded by the almighty dollar," and a third added, "You could say she's blinded by money."
Bezos, Sanchez, and the Backlash
The gala was already steeped in controversy after Bezos, 62, and Sanchez, 56, were announced as sponsors. That framing gave Paulson's look a built-in target, especially for viewers already skeptical of the event's ties to wealth.
The criticism did not stop at Paulson's outfit. One critic wrote, "I hope she donated a lot of money to the arts!" while New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he wanted to keep his focus on "affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable," according to Hell Gate.
Protests Around the Met
Nearly 300 bottles of fake urine were found in the art museum the week ahead of the event, part of a protest meant as a jab at allegations that Amazon workers are asked to skip bathroom breaks and urinate in bottles. The night before the gala, the group Everyone Hates Elon projected video interviews with Amazon workers onto the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.
One projection read, "If You Can Buy the Met Gala, You Can Pay More Taxes," and that is the clearest read on the night: Paulson's eyewear was not just a costume flourish, but a visual response to a sponsorship fight that had already spilled from the museum steps onto the city skyline.
