Anna Wintour Revealed Where She Stands With Jeff Bezos Amid Reports He ‘Seized Control’ of the Met Gala & Wants to Buy Vogue For Lauren Sánchez

The people you least expect are sometimes friends. Or at least, in business together one way or another. That is the case with Jeff Bezos and Anna Wintour. The Amazon founder, who has been recently in the spotlight due to his massive wedding to Lauren Sánchez in Venice, is also now involved with something very close to Wintour’s heart: The Met Gala.

Wintour, who recently stepped down from her role as the editor-in-chief of Vogue U.S. after 37 years, recently spoke about Bezos and his new wife being the primary donors for the 2026 Met Gala, which is set to be “Costume Art” themed. Wintour continues to serve as Vogue’s Global Creative Director and Chief Content Officer for Condé Nast. And though next year’s gala will be the first for Wintour’s successor, Chloe Malle, Wintour will still be partly involved in overseeing the event.

Related: How do Jeff Bezos’s kids feel about Lauren Sanchez?

“I think Lauren is going to be a wonderful asset to the museum and to the event,” Wintour told CNN. “[I’m] very grateful for her incredible generosity, and she’s a great lover of costume and obviously of fashion, so we’re thrilled she’s part of the night.”

The Met Gala has traditionally been funded by high fashion houses, which is why the decision to involve Bezos has sparked controversy about how much control he will have in the event and what that means for what people will get to see.

And according to Rob Shuter’s ShuterScoop, it’s not just a sponsorship with no control over the event. Instead, the gossip journalist reports that the couple has “seized control” of the Met Gala. “They aren’t just donors,” a longtime Met insider said. “Jeff is writing the checks. Lauren is making the calls. They’re basically running the Gala.” And though Wintour is still around, that doesn’t mean she’s making the calls. “Anna’s shadow is still long,” the insider says, “but make no mistake — everyone is suddenly orbiting Jeff and Lauren.”

Sanchez is reportedly “calling designers, pushing for a glossier, sexier Gala, and positioning herself as the new celebrity whisperer.” And all of it should come as no surprise if we consider reports that Bezos was considering buying Vogue for his new wife months ago. Back in July, a source told the Daily Mail: “The rumour that Jeff is going to buy Condé Nast is all anyone’s talking about in the fashion industry and inside Vogue.”

It all picked up steam after Sánchez appeared on the cover of the magazine. “Lauren Sánchez is such an unlikely cover star, and the word is that she landed the July issue partly because the Newhouse family want to butter up Bezos. In New York, they’re slimming down the business, which is exactly what companies do before a sale,” the source added.

Even then, reports indicated Wintour was on board. “Anna is said to be the one brokering the deal, so that’s why Lauren was put on the cover. Anna has equity in the business, so she has a lot to gain from a sale.”

So, Anna Wintour’s relationship with Bezos and Sanchez? Pretty good. Now, we’ll see what that means for the Met Gala.