Met Gala 2027 Scraps John Galliano Theme Amid Controversy Over Designer’s Past

The Met Gala’s thematic tribute to John Galliano has been scrapped after the controversial designer pulled out of the event amid backlash surrounding his involvement.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced Monday morning (Aug. 31) that next spring’s Costume Institute exhibition — and therefore the annual gala surrounding its opening — would no longer center around Galliano’s work, as previously announced. The British fashion disrupter personally made the decision to withdraw after public backlash concerning his previous antisemitic comments, sharing in a statement that he doesn’t “want the debate surrounding me to place The Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute.”

“I also recognize and respect that an exhibition honoring my work would be painful for some,” Galliano continued. “I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to all those who have guided, supported and accompanied me throughout these fifteen years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction. Your wisdom, patience and humanity have helped me more than I can ever adequately express.”

The former Dior creative director also expressed gratitude to The Met as well as Vogue‘s Anna Wintour, who oversees the yearly Met Gala, and acknowledged the lasting impact of his past offensive remarks. “To have my creative journey considered by an institution that I have admired throughout my life moved me more deeply than I can express,” he said.

“I remain fully accountable for the pain caused by my words in the past, particularly the hurt I caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry for it,” Galliano added. “I understand that meaningful atonement is not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture. It is a continuing responsibility, demonstrated through listening, learning and one’s conduct over time.”

In a statement of her own, Wintour called Galliano’s decision “very courageous and a measure of the man he is” and said that he has her “full support.” “His soaring imagination, fed by a lifetime of curiosity and research, is matched by his exceptional craft,” she praised. “Cut, fit, the evocative line of a bias-cut dress, color — he’s a master of it all.”

The news that Galliano would be the focus of the 2027 Met Gala came at the beginning of August. It was immediately met with disapproval, with many people calling out the time the designer hurled a string of antisemitic and racist insults outside of a cafe in Paris, for which he was fined $8,500 in 2011.

His public fall from grace — which involved his firing from Dior — led to the start of his sobriety journey over the past 15 years. The Met and Vogue had been upfront about Galliano’s controversial past in their initial announcement of the 2027 exhibit, which would’ve made him just the third living designer to be individually honored with a Costume Institute showcase.

“The exhibition won’t shy away from any of the darkness in John’s past,” Wintour stated before Galliano stepped down. “It’s part of what has shaped him. The show will take in the full arc of his career and grapple with all of it.”

It’s unknown how the Met Gala will pivot before the annual event comes around next May. Each year, hordes of celebrities — including A-list musicians — flock to The Met in New York City to walk the red carpet in avant-garde outfits inspired by the Costume Institute’s spring theme.

In 2026, the gala celebrated “Costume Art” and was co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Wintour.