Met Gala 2026: The Bezos Backlash, Devil Wears Prada 2, and What It All Means for Anna Wintour
Back Row with Amy OdellShow Notes
The 2026 Met Gala has three storylines running at once: Jeff and Lauren Bezos as lead sponsors, The Devil Wears Prada 2 opening the Friday before, and Anna Wintour doing more press than she has in years. Amy sits down with Chantal Fernandez of The Cut to break down all of it — plus predictions for the night.
0:00 Intro — Why This Met Gala Is Different
1:14 - Meet Chantal Fernandez
5:42 The Theme: "Costume Art" & What It Actually Means
8:01 - The Real Story Nobody's Covering: The New Costume Institute Galleries
10:17 - How Met Gala Exhibitions Became Museum Blockbusters
12:35 - How Themes Actually Get Chosen (and Who Funds Them)
14:02 - Anna's Role: Making Exhibitions Commercial
19:00 - Why the Met Gala Gets More Criticism Than the Oscars
21:14 - What Brands Actually Get Out of Spending $350K on a Table
24:26 - Can You Even Boycott the Met Gala?
28:06 - Lauren Sanchez, Schiaparelli & the New Ultra-Rich Aesthetic
30:16 - Breaking Down the NYT Lauren Sanchez Profile
32:56 - Graydon Carter's Perfect Quote
40:14 - Fashion Is Losing Power — and the Bezoses Are a Symptom
44:01 - Anna's Devil Wears Prada 2 Marketing Blitz: Smart or a Mistake?
49:19 - Predictions for Met Gala Night
52:49 - Will Devil Wears Prada 2 Be Any Good?
54:10 - Outro
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Links & Resources
📰 Back Row Newsletter: https://www.backrow.net/
📸 Amy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/instamyodell/
Mentioned in this episode:
↳ Chantal's VIC story
↳ Amy’s recent Met Gala reporting
↳ NYT profile of Lauren Sanchez by Amy Chozick
↳ Chantal’s 2024 Met Gala story
↳ Charlotte Cowles’s story asking Anna if she’s retiring Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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