Anna Wintour came out in support of John Galliano after the designer pulled out of the Met Gala exhibition. The move came amid renewed scrutiny over Galliano’s decade-old antisemitism controversy.
John Galliano pulled out of his planned Met Gala exhibition amid renewed scrutiny
Anna Wintour issued a statement supporting John Galliano’s decision to withdraw from the Met Gala exhibition. In her statement, she said, “John’s decision that the exhibition devoted to his work should not take place at this time is very courageous and a measure of the man he is. I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support.”
According to Page Six, insiders at Condé Nast said the staff members were “whispering behind her back.” They were allegedly concerned about honoring Galliano at the 2027 Met Gala.
“That’s how something like this gets this far in the first place. People are afraid of losing their jobs, so nobody wants to be the person who stands up and says, ‘This is a bad idea.’ There were definitely people who had concerns, but no one wanted to challenge her directly, and now people are mortified by how this was handled,” the insider said.
On Monday, Galliano stated that “it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time. 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 that he did not want the “debate surrounding [him] to place The Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute.”
A video of him making racist remarks in 2011 went viral, sparking controversy. He later apologized and met several “influential rabbis and Jewish leaders.”
Wintour, Vogue editor has been supportive of Galliano after the announcement of the exhibition. She said his “career wasn’t defined by a single moment.”
Many people opposed his inclusion as the honoree, ultimately leading to Galliano’s decision to withdraw from the exhibition.
