John Galliano pulls out of 2027 Met Gala after backlash over past racist and anti-Semitic remarks: 'I'm deeply sorry'

British fashion designer John Galliano has pulled out of a planned Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition dedicated to his career, abruptly ending a show that was announced just a month ago to accompany the 2027 Met Gala.

John Galliano exits Met show amid backlash

The decision follows criticism of the museum’s choice to honor Galliano, whose career was severely marred by anti-Semitic, racist and anti-Asian remarks that led to his dismissal from Christian Dior and his eponymous brand. He was also convicted by a Paris court of public insults based on race, religion, ethnicity or origin.

Galliano said he came to the decision after discussions with The Met and others involved in the project. In a statement, he expressed gratitude to the museum’s director and CEO Max Hollein, Costume Institute curator Andrew Bolton and Anna Wintour, while acknowledging the continuing impact of his past behavior.

“I am deeply grateful to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and especially Max Hollein, Andrew Bolton and Anna Wintour for the extraordinary honor of designing an exhibition dedicated to my work.

That my creative journey dealt with an institution I had admired all my life touched me more than I can express. I will forever be grateful for the trust, care and scholarship that Max, Andrew, Anna and the entire Met team brought to this project.

After much thought and discussion with everyone involved, I have decided with great sadness that it is best that the exhibition not take place at this time.

I take full responsibility for the pain caused by my words in the past, especially the pain I have caused to the Jewish and Asian communities, and I remain deeply sorry. I understand that meaningful atonement cannot be achieved through exhibition, institutional recognition, or a single public gesture. It is an ongoing responsibility that manifests itself in listening, learning and behaving over time.

I don’t want the debate surrounding me to put the Met in a difficult position or distract from the remarkable work of the Costume Institute. I also recognize and respect that an exhibition honoring my work would be painful for some.

I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who has guided, supported and accompanied me during these fifteen years of sobriety and recovery from alcoholism and addiction. Your wisdom, patience and humanity have helped me more than I can ever adequately express. I remain deeply indebted to you for giving me, as you promised, a better life than I ever dreamed of.

My gratitude to Met, Max, Andrew and Anna remains deep and abiding. Their generosity, humanity and belief in the importance of fashion as art, culture and history, as well as their understanding of human frailty and the possibility of growth, will stay with me forever.

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The exhibition, John Galliano: Horizons, was announced by The Met on July 31. It was intended to explore the full breadth of Galliano’s four-year career, from his graduation collection Central Saint Martins to his work at Givenchy and Dior and his later reinvention at Maison Margiela. The planned exhibit was to include clothing, accessories, sketches, research books, toilets and archival material.

The museum also intended to confront the controversy head-on rather than leave it out. Her original plan stated that the exhibition would explore Galliano’s abusive behavior and the rift caused by his anti-Semitic, racist and anti-Asian behavior, along with his subsequent addiction treatment and public recognition of his actions.

Nevertheless, the reaction brought the institution under renewed scrutiny. Galliano’s decision now means that the planned exhibition will not go ahead as planned.

The Met confirmed that the museum and the designer had jointly decided not to proceed, and said details of the Costume Institute’s new spring 2027 exhibition and Met Gala would be announced at a later date.