Nathanial Gary/USA TODAY via Imagn Images
Actress Sarah Paulson attended the Met Gala — a $100,000-per-seat event — and wore a dollar bill over her eyes to protest wealth inequality. Her tone-deafness has since been going viral on social media.
The American Horror Story actress — who has an estimated net worth of about $12 million — arrived at the 2026 Met Gala with an oversized dollar bill functioning as a blindfold.
The statement she claimed she was making was aimed at the “one percent,” but the irony of the performative protest at an event, one that’s now backed by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and synonymous with opulence, was completely lost on her.
Actress Sarah Paulson ripped for making a statement about “wealth inequality” at the $100,000-per-plate Met Gala
Sarah Paulson wears dollar bill over her eyes to call out the ‘One Percent.’
The actress, who is worth an estimated $12 million, used her outfit to call out the world’s elite while attending the $100,000 per person Met Gala. pic.twitter.com/jWfIPdtWTn
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 5, 2026
“This is the worst one at the Met Gala. Sarah Paulson’s dollar bill mask is some sort of protest against the 1% of which she is a part. If you want to protest the rich don’t go to an event that costs $100k per ticket. And give your $12m net worth away,” one viral tweet said.
“Why are so many blind to the hypocrisy of the virtue signally Hollywood sec? The met ball has got so ridiculous. It’s narcism on steroids! Who can be so ridiculously & steal the most headlines… & no one’s brave enough to say how stupid they look anymore. Emperors cloths again,” a second read.
Makes you understand why the guillotine was so popular in revolutionary France. https://t.co/YoQvpTwyo2
— RAMZPAUL (@ramzpaul) May 5, 2026
This may well be the single most tone-deaf act of protest I have ever seen, lol. https://t.co/osAhdxB6RN
— The🐰FOO (@PolitiBunny) May 5, 2026
Paulson will next be seen starring in the 13th season of American Horror Story, which began filming in April and is set to be a sequel to 2013’s American Horror Story: Coven.
She’ll also be starring in the next season of Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series Monster as Aileen Wuornos, the serial killer popularized by the 2003 Charlize Theron-starring film Monster.