Yikes! Every Star Who Has Openly Slammed the Met Gala Over the Years

Zayn Malik

After attending the Met Gala in 2016 with then-girlfriend Gigi Hadid, Zayn Malik opened up to GQ about how he really felt about the event and about red carpets in general. 

“Now, it’s not something I would go to,” he said. “I’d rather be sitting at my house, doing something productive than dressing up in really expensive clothes and being photographed on a red carpet” 

“To do the self-indulgent ‘look at me, I’m amazing’ thing on the red carpet … it’s not me,” the former One Directioner added.

Tina Fey

Mean Girls star Tina Fey opened up about her feelings for the gala in a 2015 interview with David Letterman. “It is such a jerk parade,” she said. “If you had a million arms and all the people you would punch in the whole world, they’re all there.” 

“It is so unbelievable. Clearly, I’ll never go again. But you go,” the SNL star added. “It’s this beautiful space and it’s just every jerk from every walk of life is there wearing, like, some stupid thing.”

Lena Dunham

While speaking with Amy Schumer, Lena Dunham admitted to trying to “escape” from the event in 2016. 

“You and I were literally sitting across from each other at the Met Ball,” she said. “It was like a crazy countdown to when we could escape.”

Though it’s clear the Girls star didn’t enjoy her time at the event, she did return the following year. 

Gwyneth Paltrow

Though Gwyneth Paltrow vowed in 2013 to never return to the Met Gala, telling Australian radio show hosts Kyle and Jackie O, “It sucked.” 

“I’m never going again. It was so un-fun,” Gwyneth confirmed to USA Today, before returning to the event in 2017 and 2019.

Demi Lovato

After attending the 2016 gala, Demi Lovato told Billboard it was “a terrible experience” and even called out one celebrity who “was a complete bitch and was miserable to be around.”

“It was very cliquey. I remember being so uncomfortable that I wanted to drink,” Demi said, before admitting they went to an AA meeting afterward. “I changed my clothes, but I still had my diamonds on … I related more to the homeless people in that meeting who struggled with the same struggles that I deal with than the people at the Met Gala.”

Tom Ford

“It’s turned into a costume party,” Tom told Time of the star-studded event in April 2022. “That used to just be very chic people wearing very beautiful clothes going to an exhibition about the 18th century.”

While subtly shading Katy Perry’s infamous outfits she wore in 2019, the fashion designer added, “You didn’t have to look like the 18th century, you didn’t have to dress like a hamburger, you didn’t have to arrive in a van where you were standing up because you couldn’t sit down because you wore a chandelier.”

Lourdes Leon

Lourdes Leon made her Met Gala debut in September 2021 but later admitted it was “not my vibe.”

“I’m sure it’s fun if you’re someone who is friends with a lot of famous people, but I’m not,” Madonna’s daughter said. “I didn’t know who the f–k to talk to. I felt so awkward that I literally called my boyfriend in the middle of it.”

Amy Schumer

Amy Schumer voiced her opinion on the event to Howard Stern after attending in 2016. “I don’t like it,” she said. “I have no interest in fashion. I like the idea of coming up with a way to dress that’s more comfortable, that looks cool, that sounds good to me. But other than that, I don’t care.” Though her experience felt “like punishment” the comedian still attended the following year.