From Shocking Outfits to Designer Disses — Here Are the Most Controversial Met Gala Moments

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.

“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.