Sarah Paulson's Met Gala look sees actress slammed as 'tone deaf' for 'one per cent' concept
'A swing and a miss' is how a number of Met Gala spectators have described Sarah Paulson's look for this year's event.
The American Horror Story star rocked up to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Monday evening (4 May), where she attempted to fall in line with this year's theme 'Costume Art', which saw attendees invited to explore the 'centrality of the dressed body' through depictions of the human form.
Fans of the fashion soiree have long been able to rely on 51-year-old Paulson to supply the most avant-garde get-ups, given that she'd made some show-stopping appearances on the red carpet over the years.
But her latest outfit has been slammed as 'out of touch'.
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Appearing on the red carpet, Paulson seemingly attempted to make a political statement aimed at extreme wealth.
She wore a Matières Fécales Fall 2026 red-grey tulle ball gown, which she styled with a pair of white opera gloves. The Ocean 8 actress also wore a one-dollar bill taped across her eyes.
Speaking to the press on the night, Paulson revealed that her look was titled 'The One Per Cent' - a phrase often used to describe the richest one percent of people in the world - one of them being Jeff Bezos, who has a reported net worth of $278.5 billion (£205.6bn).
Some, therefore, believe it may have also served as a subtle protest against Bezos' attendance.
It was announced back in November that the Amazon founder and his wife, Lauren Sanchez, would be contributing eight figures to the festivities, with the pair securing honorary co-chair positions.
While Paulson has been partially praised for her attempt at an important message, critics have made a point of emphasising that the actress still attended one of the world's most exclusive and expensive events to send it.
Alleging major hypocrisy on the TV star's part, one Reddit user hit out: "Yeah… I have ZERO respect for anyone showing up to this in 'protest'. Your presence is validation that you have never and will never ride for the ‘working class and poor’. Full stop.
"You are inauthentic, out of touch and are the 1%…"
Another added: "I appreciate the sentiment, but it doesn’t work in this context. At all."
Others pointed out that a ticket to the Met Gala costs roughly $100,000 per person.
Someone else commented: "It's so funny when celebs think they're making some grand statement but end up just looking painfully out of touch."
"I mean, if she wanted to actually protest the event, she could've gone to the alternative anti-Bezos protest event instead, but no, she had to go to the big gala wearing a dollar bill on her face, so you know she's 'one of the good ones'," another fan continued.
And a final user said: "It’s called being tone deaf."
Met Gala 2026 theme explained
This year’s theme is ‘Costume Art’, to tie in with a Costume Institute exhibition, which pairs paintings and sculptures with historical and contemporary clothes.
It looks to deal with ‘the centrality of the dressed body in the museum’s vast collection’.
The dress code is a bit more vague: Fashion is Art.
To me, that is even more anxiety-inducing than ‘smart-casual’. British Vogue says the dress code ‘encourages attendees to consider the many ways that designers use the body as their blank canvas’.
Previous themes and dress code have included:
2025
Theme: Superfine: Tailoring Black Style
Dress code: Tailored for You
2024
Theme: Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
Dress code: The Garden of Time
2023
Theme: Karl Lagerfeld: A Line of Beauty
Dress code: In honour of Karl
Tyla contacted Paulson's representatives for comment.
Topics: Met Gala, Celebrity, US News, Sarah Paulson
Rhianna Benson