Gaza protests, union negotiations, and deepfakes: Is the Met Gala a microcosm of the times?

Last night, the Metropolitan Museum of Art rolled out the red carpet for the Met Gala — a star-studded fundraiser hosted by media giant Condé Nast — amid pro-Palestinian protests, union negotiations, and deepfake dresses.

Gaza protests: As celebrities took to the red carpet Monday night, police struggled to contain hundreds of pro-Palestinian protesters marching down Fifth Avenue to protest the event. Many of the demonstrators came from Hunter College in an evolution of the campus protests that have swept the country – and likely a harbinger of things to come after students leave campus this summer but still strive to make their voices heard.

Union negotiations: Just 12 hours earlier, Condé Nast reached an agreement with unionized employees who were threatening to abandon their jobs at the event if they did not reach an agreement in long-stalled contract negotiations. In a post on X, the union warned on Saturday night that management could “meet us at the table or meet us at the Met on Monday.” The agreement continues a year of union wins and includes wage increases, additional parental leave, and hybrid work protections.

Deepfakes: Meanwhile, many of us who didn’t pay $75,000 for a seat and were watching the red carpet online were bamboozled by a deepfake of Katy Perry in two dresses, both generated by AI. Perry did not attend the gala, but if you were fooled by the deepfake, don't feel too bad; her own mother was too.

The Met Gala is often criticized for being a pedestal for the out-of-touch, but this time, even the force of the mighty Anna Wintour couldn’t insulate the event from the outside world.