Employees at Condé Nast are reportedly "mortified" by the handling of the decision to honor designer John Galliano with a Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, according to sources speaking to Page Six.
Insiders claim that while many staffers had concerns about honoring Galliano due to his history of antisemitic and racist remarks, they were reluctant to voice these directly to Anna Wintour, Vogue's global editorial director and a powerful Met trustee. "Everybody is whispering behind [Anna’s] back, but nobody is saying anything to her face," one Condé Nast insider told Page Six.
The source suggested that fear of job loss contributed to the silence. "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,'" the insider explained. "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 controversy culminated Monday when Galliano, 65, announced he would withdraw from the planned 2027 exhibition, titled "John Galliano: Horizons." In a statement, Galliano cited "much reflection and discussion with all those involved" and expressed a desire not to place the Met in a difficult position or distract from the Costume Institute's work. He also acknowledged that the exhibition could be painful for some and stated he remains accountable for past hurt caused to the Jewish and Asian communities.
Wintour publicly supported Galliano's decision, calling it "very courageous and a measure of the man he is." She added, "I believe this is the right decision, and both he and the Museum have my full support."
The Metropolitan Museum of Art also stated that details of a new exhibition will be announced at a later date. Representatives for Wintour and Condé Nast did not immediately respond to Page Six's requests for comment.
The planned exhibition had drawn scrutiny since its announcement earlier this month, particularly because the 2027 Met Gala was scheduled for the first Monday in May, which coincides with Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Galliano was fired from Dior in 2011 after video emerged of him making antisemitic and racist remarks at a Paris café, including expressing admiration for Hitler. He was later convicted in France of public insults based on origin and fined.
Before the exhibition was announced, Wintour, 76, met with Galliano, Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton, and New York City's "influential rabbis and Jewish leaders" to discuss potential issues. Wintour had previously defended the exhibition, stating that Galliano's career "combines erudition and creativity, darkness and light, the past, the present, the future all smashing together in a brilliant way." She also asserted that the exhibition "won’t shy away from any of the darkness in John’s past."