Protest at Met Gala Involves Bottles of Fake Urine
Staff at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York discovered hundreds of bottles that appeared to be filled with “fake” urine just before the 2026 Met Gala. This unusual protest was directed at Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and co-chair of this year’s high-profile event, as reported by the New York Post.
Activists claim that the stunt highlights the poor working conditions faced by Amazon warehouse employees, who often feel pressured to pee in bottles due to tight schedules and limited access to restrooms. A group called Everyone Hates Elon announced they placed over 300 bottles throughout the museum in a statement issued on May 1.
These bottles had labels such as “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala” attached to them. “Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder and oligarch, just wrapped up his Met Gala pre-party at his penthouse and is gearing up for the main event,” the group noted, according to the New York Post.
“We couldn’t allow him to use celebrity culture and fashion to distract from his misdeeds. Instead, we’re exposing them,” they added. The activists also set up numerous signs and props mocking the work environment in Amazon warehouses.
One of the displays featured a plastic bottle arrangement labeled as a “Met Gala VIP toilet,” accompanied by a sign that read, “installed in honor of Met Gala chair Jeff Bezos. Go ahead, it’s good enough for his staff.”
Additionally, empty bottles were distributed in baskets outside the museum, inviting passersby to utilize them. Amazon has previously referred to restroom access issues as an “industry-wide problem” related to delivery routes and traffic, asserting that they are working to address it.
Protesters targeted Bezos leading up to the gala, displaying posters with messages like “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala. Brought to you by worker exploitation.” They also projected similar messages on notable landmarks in New York, including the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, to encourage a boycott of “billionaire-backed fashion theater.”
Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez Bezos, were named honorary co-chairs of the 2026 Met Gala and are believed to have made significant financial contributions to this fashionable event.
