This Met Gala had more than one controversy. First, the official rejection by the Mayor of New York, Meryl Streep, and Zendaya. Then the boycott planned by citizens because Jeff Bezos was the main host, and it is speculated that Sarah Paulson decided to take part, but in a much more elegant way than simply rejecting her invitation.
The actress known for American Horror Story sparked controversy by wearing an ostentatious gray suit and a mask made of real dollar bills. When asked about her outfit, she replied: “one percent.”
According to analysis by the specialized site Red Carpet Fashion Awards, the Matières Fécales look from the fall-winter 2026 collection titled The One Percent, which dressed the actress, sought to caricature the richest people in the world. In that context, the idea behind the dollar bill is that “money blinds them.”
While some applaud the actress and call her a “genius,” others criticize her, as in the case of Cosmopolitan UK. “Paulson made a critique of extreme wealth within the event where the host, Jeff Bezos, is the third-richest man in the world, and she is also rich enough to criticize it,” the magazine noted.
Sarah Paulson has not commented further on the matter, but it is well known that there are stars who are banned from the Met Gala forever, and apparently Sarah Paulson sought that as an achievement in a subtle way.
