Met Gala's Controversial Moments in Its History: Photos

The Met Gala is fashion’s biggest night, and with so many stars vying to stand out on the red carpet, there are bound to be controversies.

Typically held every year on the first Monday in May (except in 2020, when it was canceled and in 2021, when it was postponed until September 13 due to the coronavirus), the Met ball always has one outfit that garners criticism, someone is bound to trip over their stilettos, and sometimes, the theme itself causes a stir.

While the red carpet is the only part of the Met Gala the public gets to see, it isn’t the only place where shocking moments go down. After today’s biggest celebrities and most influential people are brought inside the Metropolitan Museum of Art, they’re treated to a gourmet meal, endless drinks and top-secret special performances from artists like Rihanna and Lady Gaga.

That’s where it can get real messy. Despite strict rules of not using social media and keeping the museum smoke-free, celebrities will sneak into the bathroom to post selfies while smoking cigarettes. Stars seated together may cause tension as well, as was the case for Demi Lovato who left the 2016 Met Gala to go to an AA meeting due to one unnamed person. They told Billboard they would never go to another Met Gala. Meanwhile, a waiter at a past event told Daily Front Row that other celebrities steal bottles of alcohol and hide them around the museum so they have their own stash.

Even behind the scenes, there is drama — especially when it comes to the guest list. For years, Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of Vogue and chairwoman of the event since 1995 (excluding 1996 and 1998), refused to invite Kim Kardashian. E! is just one outlet that shared the possibly true rumor that Anna didn’t want reality TV stars to attend — and now, there’s another controversy surrounding the invitation being extended to influencers and TikTok stars.

With that being said, TikTok and YouTube stars have secured a spot of their own at the Met Gala. Gen Z influencers including Addison Rae, Emma Chamberlain and Dixie D’Amelie attended the 2021 event, providing a stark contrast to the longtime attendees of the event who have more traditional backgrounds in entertainment.

Despite all the glamorous outfits and beautiful celebs, things still get messy.

“It’s like a Fellini movie,” Madonna said at the 2015 Met Gala. “The best and worst of everything is here.”

Even the designers partake in the drama of the Met Gala. American designer Tom Ford, who will be returning to the 2022 event as honorary co-chair, threw shade at Katy Perry’s past Met Gala looks in an excerpt of an upcoming book titled Anna: The Biography.

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“It’s turned into a costume party,” he said of the way the Met Gala has evolved. “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,” he added, in reference to Katy’s 2019 looks.

If there is anything the Met Gala has proved it’s that where there are celebrities, there will be scandals.

Keep scrolling to see the most scandalous Met Gala moments over the years.

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Kim Wears Marilyn Monroe’s Dress and Slams Claims She Caused Damage

For the 2022 event, Kim took the “In America: An Anthology of Fashion” theme to the extreme. The Skims founder wore Marilyn Monroe’s infamous Bob Mackie dress that the late Hollywood icon wore when she sang “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy.

“The idea really came to me after the gala in September last year. I thought to myself, what would I have done for the American theme if it had not been the Balenciaga look? What’s the most American thing you can think of? And that’s Marilyn Monroe,” the reality star told Vogue in May 2022 about wearing the gown to the event. “For me, the most Marilyn Monroe moment is when she sang ‘Happy Birthday,’ to JFK, it was that look.”

The Kardashians star later faced backlash for the look, with fans claiming she damaged the historical garment.

Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, who normally houses the dress, later denied claims in June 2022 that Kim caused harm to the article of clothing.

“From the bottom of the Met steps, where Kim got into the dress, to the top where it was returned, the dress was in the same condition it started in,” noted Ripley’s VP of Publishing and Licensing, Amanda Joiner in June 2022, who was continuously with the dress the day of the Gala and during transport from Orlando to New York.

A report was also previously written on the dress’s condition in early 2017, which stated, “A number of the seams are pulled and worn. This is not surprising given how delicate the material is. There is puckering at the back by the hooks and eyes,” among other instances of damage.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West Made Their Met Gala Debut

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West made their Met Gala debut at the Punk: Chaos to Couture event in 2013. Kim showed off her baby bump in a custom Givenchy dress by designer Riccardo Tisci, but unfortunately, the gown caused a stir on the internet, and people compared it to their grandma’s vintage couch or even something Mrs. Doubtfire would wear.

Sarah Jessica Parker’s Headpiece is Questionable

Sarah Jessica Parker clearly knows how to make a statement. The actress wore a Philip Treacy headpiece in 2015, but many people thought she took the theme — Museum of Art’s China: Through the Looking Glass Exhibition — too far. Some people thought her accessory bordered on cultural appropriation.

Kendall Jenner Showed Her Assets

Kendall wore a sheer dress to the Met Gala in 2017. Many people pointed out that she was half naked and slut-shamed her. On the other hand, her La Perla dress was compared to Rose McGowan’s gown that she wore to the MTV VMAs in 1998. However, the KUWTK starlet didn’t seem to mind the haters. “It’s pretty sexual, but, yeah, it’s cool. It’s like, it’s very like, I don’t know. I always like something that’s a little controversial, so, that’s kind of that,” she told Allure at the time.

Solange Throwing Hands at Jay-Z

At the 2014 Met Gala, security footage showed Solange attacking Jay-Z in an elevator before security and Beyoncé interfered. The rapper referenced the altercation three years later in his song “Kill Jay-Z.”

“You egged Solange on,” Jay raps. “Knowin’ all along, all you had to say you was wrong.”

Smoking and Selfies

Smoking isn’t allowed in public places due to New York City’s Smoke-Free Air Act, and the use of cell phones is heavily frowned upon during the event. Regardless, celebrities went to the girls’ bathroom to smoke at the 2017 Met Gala, including designer Marc Jacobs and Courtney Love, and then shared a selfie of the act.

Choë Sevigny was right when she said, “It’s just like high school.”