Met Gala 2026 is around the corner, and many are wondering who will attend the prestigious fundraiser. Could the guest list include New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani? Well, don’t hold your breath, because Mamdani himself has confirmed that he will be skipping the Met.

While the city’s mayors often attend the Met Gala fundraiser, which benefits the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, Mamdani won’t keep the “tradition” alive. On April 15, Page Six first reported that Mamdani, as well as first lady and illustrator Rama Duwaji, had been invited to the event but had decided to sit it out.

Mamdani himself confirmed the news he would be skipping in an interview with Hell Gate a date later. “That’s true,” Mamdani told editor and co-founder Christopher Robbins when asked if the reports that he and his wife would be skipping the event were true. However, the mayor did take a minute to praise the Metropolitan Museum itself. “I love the Met. I think that it’s an incredible museum,” he added.

As mentioned above, politicians often attend the Met Gala and, in fact, all of NYC’s mayors since 2002 have attended the fundraiser. Michael Bloomberg has gone a handful of times, both before, during, and after his mayoral term. Bill de Blasio attended once in 2021, while Eric Adams attended in 2022. They all walked the red carpet with their respective partners.

Many people anticipated that Mamdani would be at the Met Gala not only because he is the mayor, but also because Duwaji has been praised in fashion circles since his inauguration. Anna Wintour, who serves as the Met Gala’s longstanding co-chair, recently said, “I’m full of admiration for New York City’s new first lady because she looks so cool and wears a lot of vintage—young and modern and also entirely herself.”

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