What it means to ‘chair’ a Met Gala
By Dan Kauna, May 5, 2026Every year on the first Monday of May, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City transforms into the most exclusive party on the planet.
Celebrities, designers, and cultural icons ascend the famous staircase dressed in the most extraordinary fashion imaginable – and somewhere at the centre of it all stand the co-chairs, the people who, in many ways, make the whole night happen.
This year, Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour served as the 2026 Met Gala co-chairs, with Lauren Sánchez Bezos taking on the title of honorary co-chair.
For Beyoncé in particular, the moment carried extra weight. It marked her first appearance at the event in a decade.
But what does it actually mean to chair the Met Gala?
It is far more than just showing up
If you think co-chairs simply walk the red carpet and wave for the cameras, think again. At its core, a Met Gala co-chair serves as both curator and connector. They help shape the guest list, deciding who gets one of the most exclusive invites in the world.
Their roles go from helping to put together the entire guest list to working with top chefs to create the specific menu, which is often aligned with each year’s theme.
A co-chair will also help to create the atmosphere inside the event by selecting specific décor and working with interior designers to bring the space to life.
Co-chairs are responsible for essentially making the big night happen while acting as the primary hosts, reaching into their networks to ensure robust attendance. That matters enormously when you consider that an individual ticket to the invite-only gala costs US$100,000 (Ksh 12,915,000), with tables starting at US$350,000 (Ksh 45,202,500).
Once inside the venue, it is not unusual for co-chairs to take the stage during dinner, whether that is speaking, performing, or helping MC the flow of the night.
In previous years, past co-chairs like Rihanna and Jennifer Lopez took the stage to perform.
Anna Wintour always has the final say
While co-chairs bring genuine influence to the table, there is one constant at the Met Gala: Anna Wintour.
Wintour has chaired or co-chaired the event since 1995, overseeing both the benefit committee and the guest list, with Vogue staffers helping to assemble the invitees.
All co-chairs work hand in hand with Wintour, who ultimately has the final say when it comes to pulling the evening together. Think of her as the permanent anchor around which each year’s co-chairs rotate.
The practice of recruiting high-profile names to co-chair the gala has a long history.
Diana Vreeland, who reshaped the Met Gala from a society dinner into an annual themed spectacle, even convinced her friend Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis to serve as co-chair in 1976 and 1977.
Since then, the chair list has read like a who’s who of global pop culture – from Lady Gaga and Harry Styles to Rihanna, Zendaya, and Lewis Hamilton.
As the Met Gala is the primary fundraiser for the museum’s Costume Institute, co-chairs also work on publicising and representing the event.
Their faces become the face of the evening, their fashion choices amplify the theme, and their networks fill the room.
So when Beyoncé stepped onto that staircase on Monday night, she was not just attending fashion’s biggest party. She was one of the people who built it.