Met Gala Scandal Escalates: Museum May Postpone Ball Over John Galliano Tribute

The controversy surrounding the Met Gala is intensifying after the museum’s decision to dedicate its next major fashion exhibition to designer John Galliano. Now, museum trustees and board members are discussing the possibility of moving the event from its previously announced date of May 3, 2027, because it falls on Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

According to The New York Times, amid growing backlash over Galliano’s selection as the centerpiece of the upcoming exhibition, museum officials are considering postponing the Met Gala by roughly a week.

The debate over the date comes against the backdrop of the controversy surrounding the British designer, who was found guilty by a French court in 2011 of making antisemitic remarks that were classified as a hate crime.

Earlier this month, The New York Times reported that Vogue editor-in-chief and Met trustee Anna Wintour, Galliano himself and other organizers had spent the past year meeting with prominent rabbis and members of New York’s Jewish community. According to the newspaper, they wanted to hear their concerns about the planned exhibition devoted to the designer’s work and potentially secure their support.

However, following the publication of that report, the situation appears to have only become more heated.

The New York Times reports that museum trustees and board members are now “scrambling to contain the damage” caused by the controversy over Galliano’s selection.

“For starters, they are discussing moving the next Met Gala from its traditional date — the first Monday in May — to a week later. In 2027, Yom HaShoah, also known as Holocaust Remembrance Day and the Day of Remembrance for the Heroes and Victims of the Holocaust, falls on the originally scheduled date of the event,” the newspaper reported.

Met representatives, including Wintour, who has long been one of Galliano’s most prominent supporters, have not publicly commented on the possibility of changing the date. Vogue, which effectively serves as the official media voice of the Met Gala, continues to list May 3 as the event date.

Meanwhile, opposition from members of New York’s Jewish community is growing increasingly serious.

According to The New York Times, some donors have already contacted museum officials and threatened to withdraw their financial support if the Galliano exhibition goes ahead in its originally planned form.

One of the most prominent critics is Julie Menin, the speaker of the New York City Council and one of the highest-ranking Jewish officials in the city administration. In a letter she sent to Hollein, Bolton and Wintour, Menin called the museum’s decision to focus on Galliano’s career “a serious mistake.”

Menin is far from the only influential figure to voice criticism.

The New York Times reports that prominent art-world figure Arne Glimcher recently sent a letter to Hollein and Met curator David Breslin criticizing the decision to devote the exhibition to Galliano.

“I don’t think you have considered the cost of this decision and its future consequences,” Glimcher wrote. He added that he and his wife were “seriously reconsidering” plans concerning other works from their collection that had been pledged to the Met.

Another longtime supporter of the Costume Institute, Jill Kargman, announced that she was leaving the Friends of the Costume Institute patron group specifically because of the Galliano project.

As pressure mounts, Met director Max Hollein has sought to emphasize that the museum is taking the criticism seriously.

“The Met does not tolerate antisemitism, racism or prejudice of any kind. We are consulting closely with members of the Jewish community and other stakeholders, and we take the concerns that have been raised with us very seriously,” Hollein told The New York Times.

According to Hollein, the museum’s leadership is currently “developing a thoughtful plan” for the exhibition and next year’s Met Gala that will be consistent with the institution’s moral and ethical standards.

The high-profile celebration of one of the most influential designers in fashion history therefore risks turning into a major reputational crisis for the Met Gala. And if the museum does ultimately postpone the event, it would mark the first major fallout from the controversy surrounding John Galliano.