TikTok CEO Shou Chew served as honorary chair of the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual Costume Institute Benefit in New York City as the future of the Chinese-owned social media app is uncertain. Chew, who’s been grilled on Capitol Hill over concerns about the Chinese Communist Party having access to data of the app’s 170 million U.S. users, was selected as the Met Gala’s honorary chair by Anna Wintour, the New York Times reported.
Co-chairs for the 2024 Met Gala were Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Bad Bunny, Chris Hemsworth and Wintour herself. The theme was "Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion." Chew was honorary chair, as was Jonathan Anderson, creative director of the luxury fashion brand Loewe, which was also a sponsor of the event. According to the Times, TikTok declined to reveal its financial contribution to the 2024 Met Gala, but sponsors in previous years have been known to contribute about $5 million.