Anna Wintour applauded fashion designer John Galliano’s “courageous” decision to pull out of the 2027 Met Gala after he faced ongoing backlash for his 2011 antisemitic outburst.
“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,” Vogue’s global editorial director wrote in a statement posted to the Met Gala’s official website on Monday.
“I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support.”
Wintour, 76, spoke out shortly before a Condé Nast insider told Page Six that staffers were “whispering behind her back” and were allegedly concerned when it was announced that Galliano would be honored at the annual gala, scheduled for May 2027.
“That’s how something like this gets this far in the first place,” the insider shared. “People are afraid of losing their jobs, so nobody wants to be the person who stands up and says, ‘This is a bad idea.’”
The source continued, “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.”
Galliano, meanwhile, announced Monday that he would be stepping back from his role at the forthcoming event.
“After much reflection and discussion with The Met and all those involved, I have decided, with great sadness, that it is best for the exhibition not to take place at this time,” Galliano wrote. “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.”
“I understand that meaningful atonement is not achieved through an exhibition, institutional recognition or a single public gesture,” the designer continued. “It is a continuing responsibility, demonstrated through listening, learning and one’s conduct over time.”
Galliano explained he didn’t want the “debate surrounding [him] to place The Met in a difficult position or to distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute.”
“I also recognise and respect that an exhibition honouring my work would be painful for some,” he added, expressing his appreciation for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Wintour and other organizers for wanting to devote an exhibition to his work.
Earlier this month, Galliano and Met Gala organizers sparked controversy after the designer was announced as the honoreefor next year’s star-studded event following his antisemitic rant in 2011.
At the time, Galliano was caught on video making drunken racist remarks while in Paris. He initially apologized for his remarks, stating that he didn’t remember the incident.
However, the controversial rant led to his firing from Dior as a designer.
Galliano entered rehab and took a brief hiatus from the spotlight until 2014, when he returned to work as a creative designer for Maison Margiela.
Ahead of being announced as the Met Gala honoree, Galliano and Wintour had met with several “influential rabbis and Jewish leaders” in New York, who claimed he deserved another chance.
The chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt, told Page Six that “ADL accepted John Galliano’s apology long ago, and believes he has genuinely reckoned with his past antisemitism.”
“But timing matters,” he continued. “Antisemitism is surging … and Jewish New Yorkers are feeling unheard by their city’s leaders. As the decision is made, now it’s on the Met and partners, not with token gestures around one exhibit, but with real action against antisemitism, in the museum and across the fashion world they help shape.”
Wintour also backed Galliano when the announcement was made, telling the New York Times that his career wasn’t “defined by a single moment” and that “there [was] no one more deserving of an exhibition of this scale.”
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