Don’t expect to see New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at next month’s Met Gala.
In an interview with Christopher Robbins for the Hell Gate newsletter, Mamdani confirmed his impending absence from the festivities when asked about recent reports stating that he and the First Lady of NYC, Rama Duwaji, would not be in attendance.
“That’s true,” Mamdani said, adding in response to a follow-up question that he has “love” for the Met, calling it “an incredible museum.”
While the Met is undoubtedly “a critical part of the city,” per Mamdani, he remains committed to his goal of making NYC more affordable for its citizens.
“My focus is also on affordability and making the most expensive city in the United States affordable, and that’s what I’m looking to spend a lot of my time focused on,” he said, as seen here.
Complex has reached out to the mayor’s office for additional comment. This story may be updated.
Often, previous NYC mayors, including Mamdani’s predecessor, Eric Adams, have attended the Met Gala. This year’s theme for the annual fundraiser is “Costume Art,” with Beyoncé among the confirmed co-chairs.
“Rather than prioritizing fashion’s visuality, which often comes at the expense of the corporeal, ‘Costume Art’ privileges its materiality and the indivisible connection between our bodies and the clothes we wear,” Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute’s Curator in Charge, previously said of the theme. “The opening of the new galleries will mark a pivotal moment for the department, one that acknowledges the critical role that fashion plays not only within art history but also within contemporary culture.”
The 2026 Met Gala, which, as in years past, will surely feature no shortage of elaborately presented looks from a slew of familiar faces, is set for May 4.
Mamdani hit the ground running with his progressive approach to the mayoral office in January, announcing that his administration was banning hotel junk fees in the city.
“If you do not change your practices, city government will change them for you,” Mamdani warned in a press conference at the time. “Life in our city does not need to be defined by hardship.”
More recently, he announced a new insurance program aimed at bringing down the cost of property and liability insurance for affordable and rent-stabilized housing in the city, billing it as the first such effort of its kind. The move, per Mamdani, will “help New Yorkers stay in their homes” while contributing to greater affordability citywide.
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