What Is The Met Gala

I break down what the Met Gala actually is, why it exists, and how it grew from a New York charity dinner into the fashion world’s most watched night. We also get into who controls the guest list, how brands use the tables, and whether “buying your way in” changes what the event stands for. 
• The Met Gala as a charity event funding the Met’s Costume Institute 
• Why costume design and fashion history deserve museum-level attention 
• How the event evolved from society tables to a global celebrity showcase 
• The jump in table prices and what that suggests about costs and demand 
• Anna Wintour’s role in shaping exclusivity and invitations 
• Brands buying tables and how guest placement can work for big vs smaller labels 
• Networking strategy, assigned seating, couples being separated, and the no-phone rule 
• The Jeff Bezos controversy and the tension between fundraising and exclusivity 

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Transcript

Welcome And The Big Question

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Hi, and welcome back to another episode of That's the Beam. Today's topic is what is the Met Gala? So I know everyone talks about the Met Gala. There's a lot of noise about it. I feel like everyone knows and is aware about the Met Gala being in New York, being a fashion event, celebrities dressing up. But what is it really? And how many people actually

A Charity Night With Real Stakes

SPEAKER_00 0:42

know? Like, did you know the Met Gala is actually a charity event? And I believe it started back in the 1950s. Might be earlier. But um it used to be just like a regular charity event, very fashion-oriented in New York, where people with money would pay for a table, and all the money goes to the costume design or the costume department of the Met Gala.

Why Fashion History Gets Sidelined

SPEAKER_00 1:31

So the Met Museum in New York is one of the biggest art museums in the world. Um, and if not the states, and everything's funded, but the costume design side of the museum is fully funded by the Met Gala. So all other types of art that dates back centuries, sculptures, it's all under something different. For some reason, the design aspect of art, like costume design that dates back centuries, or outfits worn by um like Hollywood stars, or even that came out in older movies, things like that, attire, fashion, it is basically not as important for some reason. Until this year, it's finally being moved into an exhibition, and every year there's a costume design exhibit after the Megala according to the theme behind it. But everything else is kept like in the basement. Every and all the other art pieces have like their own areas, which is insane to me. Like clothing for some reason is not as important, but it tells so much history as well as any other sculpture, as any other painting. So there's barely some like commotion and some movement happening at the Met Museum for that to be changed, but it has been known that it's kept in the basement, all these beautiful designs from years and years and years are, I mean, well kept, but in like a very not great area. So it's a shame.

How Tables Hit $250,000

SPEAKER_00 3:59

But basically, the Met Gala's job is to fund this department in the Met Museum, and it has grown so much over the years. I know from the very start, obviously, economy was different, but you could buy a table for like two to three thousand dollars, which is still a pretty buck, but it's nothing compared to what is now. Now, this past recent one on May 4th, a table was $250,000, I believe, around that amount, and the year before that, so last year, it was $75,000, which is an insane like um spike of the cost. And I'm not really sure why I know from different interviews I heard before and after the Met Gala that it just has become more expensive to keep these pieces, to keep the department, to just give these pieces a better place to be kept.

Anna Wintour And The Guest List

SPEAKER_00 5:27

And another thing for the Met Gala, it's obviously very selective. It is basically controlled by Anna Wintour from Vogue, and she gets to pick who is going to be in the guest list. She's done it for years and years and years, and it's very selective to like very um like fashion, high fashion oriented people. And there was a point in time she would not even let the Kardashians be in this red carpet gala, but times have changed, she also evolves with it, and therefore the guest list changes as well. But it's supposed to be very high-fashioned um charity event where in the beginning people with money in the New York society would just pay for their table. It didn't really matter who they were, more so how much money they could give, just like any charity gala event throughout the world, but then it evolved to this massive cultural fashion-driven thing, which obviously is huge. You have now these high-end designers being showcased, and brands um who want to showcase themselves with these celebrity figures, and it just has become such a massive thing. Uh, so it's just crazy to me that before it was just like a normal unquote charity event uh where you know you buy your table, you bring the people who you want, and you invite the people you want to your table, and that's it. And people knew it was to, you know, fund the costume design department of the Matt Museum. And then throughout the years, it just became bigger and bigger, and people started dressing up more high-end designers got involved to finally become what it is known for today. And it's definitely the biggest fashion event of the year, it's like the fashion super bowl, if you can call it that, and basically, brands, designers will be the ones purchasing their tables, and then they get to basically put whoever they want or invite whoever they want to their table. There is some limitations from what I've heard and read uh through Vogue and Ana Winter interviews, where if you're a starting brand or not as big of a brand, you can pay to be part of this event and like be promoted, and you know it's for a good cause, so you're you're also just getting so many views and content and attention, so it's definitely a great investment. But if you're not uh such big of a brand, basically uh Anna Wintour and the people in church will allocate guests, celebrities to be set at your table. And if you are a huge brand like Chanel, for example, who has like uh brand ambassadors who they know they're dressing people like Nicole Kitman, ASAP Rocky, then obviously the Met Gala, aka Vogue, aka Ana Winter will allow them to pick whoever they want. It just really is about how much weight your name carries for the brand, for the event, and what type of celebrities you are bringing in. But if you are a smaller brand, not to say that like there's not there's no small brands being involved in the Megala, but there is definitely, I feel like, designers or brand names that are not as known by the public. Uh, therefore, they might not have as big a celebrity as Nicole Kitman that can be part of their table. Therefore, Vogue will allocate these guests to be um connected

Networking Rules And The No Phone Policy

SPEAKER_00 10:39

with the brand. Aside from the Met Gala being a charity event, it is also a huge networking event that Anna Wintour and her team allocate and organize to have people be sat where they don't really know each other. So I've heard and it's known that couples are regularly separated, they're not allowed to sit together. Um, I don't know if there's like an exception there or if that has changed or not, but it's basically Ano Wintour is known for being a person who wants people in a room to connect and network and maximize their presence. You know, if you are sat with someone who may push your brand to be bigger, maybe a model that can be a brand ambassador or a stylist that could perhaps help like a celebrity, you know, it just like very, very talented, huge connections are happening throughout the night, throughout the room, and phones are strictly not allowed. That's why you don't see a lot of content from inside the venue, only the red carpet. And I mean, these rules tend to be broken in the bathrooms. I mean, people they can't take people's phones away, so obviously there's gonna be like little snippets that will sneak out on social media, especially from the younger generations. It keeps the high fashion aspect of the night of also not knowing what's actually happening, but you know you have all these celebrities in the same room. I think it's such a genius way to fund something so important to the Met Museum, but also make it fashion culture driven. And that's what it has really become. I mean, nobody really talks about it being a charity event, at least, like if you're not in the fashion industry, I feel like a lot of people just think it's like an event that happens for celebrities rather than like how much money it's being made and given to the museum through this night.

Jeff Bezos And The Pay To Enter Debate

SPEAKER_00 13:20

Now, even though it's very selective, the guest list is very selective. People, there's like a little controversy on this year's Met Gala because of Jeff Bezos being part of it. And I mean, he's not like a fashion forward person, he's just known, you know, for having so much money, which made it like a little odd this year because it's supposed to be kind of like invite-only, and yes, you pay for your table as a brand, but I don't know what the circumstance is uh economically, which like worries me a little bit on the fact that they like they basically bought themselves in, like Jeff Bezos and his wife, they gave a huge amount, and therefore they were part of it this year. While before that was not a thing, like you there was no amount of money you can you could give to be part of the event in the red carpet. Like that was like on a wind tours thing, that it was very strict, very specific, that it cost that much, but you had you had to be invited, you couldn't just pay your way in. So that's what Scott people talking. Like, what is Jeff Bezos going to be doing with like the fashion world? Um, they talk about like the Amazon platform being more luxury-driven, that there's like some investing being done there because there's a lot of money in that area. But I mean, I don't know, it's it's odd, but I also think that if it's supporting a good cause, then why not let people pay? But then it doesn't, it defeats the purpose of the event being so exclusive and so amazing and all the things. But yeah, like what are your thoughts on that? I want to hear people's thoughts on on that conversation, on like being able to buy your way into the most exclusive event of the year only because you know you have like six million dollars that you can give out. Obviously, not like majority of people don't have that. And even, I mean, even the $250,000 for the tables. So it's I feel like a lot of technicalities, but from what I've researched, heard through interviews and other podcasts, that's what I gathered.

Wrap Up And How To Join In

SPEAKER_00 16:40

Um, and that's just a little bit of what the Met Gala is. I know there's definitely more to it. There's always more to any topic that can be deeply researched on. But I like to touch base on things and let you all conversate and tell me your thoughts, tell me something I don't know. Uh, feel free to message, comment, other things. But that's it for this episode. Just wanted to talk a little bit about what the Megella is, create a little awareness, throw in some drama, and let you all tell me what you think after listening or watching this episode. Thank you as always, and please share, like, comment, subscribe, all the things. I highly, highly appreciate growing this channel and growing this fashion community. Hi! Thank you for tuning in. Make sure to follow at That's the V Podcast on all platforms for more fashion content. And a big thank you to our sponsor, Jack Premier Advertising Agency. If you're looking to get on platforms like Hulu or Netflix, check out the link in the description.