Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour is reportedly facing calls for accountability and even retirement after plans for a 2027 Met Gala exhibition celebrating designer John Galliano were scrapped amid significant backlash. The proposed exhibition focused on Galliano's work, but the plan ignited controversy due to his 2011 conviction for making antisemitic and racist remarks.
Galliano was fired by Christian Dior in 2011 after video surfaced of him making derogatory statements, including "I love Hitler" and comments targeting Jewish and Asian individuals. He later worked to rehabilitate his image and career, joining Maison Margiela in 2014.
Sources told the New York Post that Wintour, who was instrumental in the original plan, should bear greater scrutiny. "She is the person who wanted this to happen, never fully considering the consequences," one insider stated. "She is the public face and reaps the benefit of the gala and the surrounding coverage." Another anonymous source suggested it was "too late for an apology – she should retire" and that Wintour "doesn’t understand what people are talking about and thought she could shoulder through this, and it would blow over," adding that she has "lost her touch on the zeitgeist."
Melissa Rivers, a red carpet expert, commented that while Wintour is "brilliant," she has sometimes made mistakes by "not reading the room correctly." Rivers noted that her late mother, Joan Rivers, "would have hated" a Galliano-themed Met Gala, though she acknowledged Galliano's significant talent.
However, other sources defended Wintour, asserting that the decision was not solely hers. "People seem to think she’s the sole person [making decisions about the Met theme]," a source told the New York Post. "It’s a huge amount of people on the Met board that signed off on this. She’s a piece of that." This individual emphasized that it was a "big group decision" and "a team effort" that had been discussed for at least two years.
John Galliano himself released a statement expressing sadness over the exhibition's cancellation but taking responsibility for past actions. "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 said. He added that he understood "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."
Andrew Bolton, the Costume Institute's curator, supported the decision not to proceed, recognizing the pain and concern the exhibition had caused. Wintour also released a statement, characterizing Galliano's decision as "courageous" and expressing her full support for him and the museum, but her statement did not include an apology.
Insiders suggested Wintour's initial support for Galliano stemmed from a belief in redemption and second chances, citing her past encouragement for people to wear Marchesa designs following allegations against Harvey Weinstein. "It comes from a place of love and forgiveness," one source said. "She really believes in people’s second chances and becoming better people and learning from mistakes."