In the lead-up to the Met Gala, a group named Everyone Hates Elon staged a unique protest by placing fake urine bottles at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. This act coincided with broader protests at the event on Monday, where Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, opted to bypass the red carpet and enter through a less visible route.
The installation of the fake bottles was a commentary on ongoing legal issues surrounding Amazon, specifically a proposed class action lawsuit in Colorado. This lawsuit alleges that delivery drivers were forced to urinate in bottles due to restrictive work policies. Despite the serious nature of the accusations, Amazon had previously refrained from addressing the specifics when the suit was initially reported in 2023.
This year's Met Gala saw Bezos and his wife, Lauren Sánchez, as primary donors and honorary co-chairs, further shining a light on Amazon's controversial labor practices. The protest aimed to highlight these issues, with the bottles featuring a message urging attendees to “Boycott the Bezos Met Gala.”