THE biggest night in the fashion calendar is nearly upon us and all eyes will be on the infamous red carpet and A-list attendees.
But behind the couture and now-£100,000 tickets, the New York-based event has a long history of high-profile drama.
Beyonce, Jay-Z and Solange Knowles were the highlight of the 2014 Met Gala after footage leaked of a family feud in a hotel lift Credit: Splash News
Here are the most notorious scandals that have rocked the Metropolitan Museum of Art over the years…
1. JAY-Z’S ELEVATOR SHOWDOWN
In a clip leaked to TMZ, Beyonce’s sister Solange could be seen attacking Jay-Z Credit: TMZ
One of the most famous moments in Met Gala history was the now-infamous altercation between and ‘s sister, Solange in 2014.
The shocking incident saw , as she cornered in a lift – while Beyonce watched passively.
The CCTV footage was taken inside a lift at The Standard Hotel, and became a huge global story.
editor is said to have secretly stepped in to help counsel the couple as video leaked on TMZ, and was a “key voice” in the stars making a joint statement to “take the sting out of the scandal.”
The moment sparked years of infidelity rumours about Jay-Z, which is said to eventually inspired Beyoncé’s Lemonade and Jay-Z’s 4:44 albums.
2. MARILYN MONROE DRESS DAMAGE
Kardashian attended the 2022 Met Gala wearing the exact dress Marilyn Monroe wore to sing Happy Birthday, Mr. President to John F. Kennedy Credit: PA
Kardashian fans were left divided over photos of Marilyn Monroe’s iconic nude dress AFTER Kim wore it to Met Gala Credit: Instagram/@1morrisette
Met Gala royalty Kim Kardashian sparked backlash when she wore from 1962.
The reality star got some heat as she was even accused of damaging the iconic gown .
TMZ previously showed Kim’s butt popping out of a huge hole in the back as she visited Ripley’s Believe It Or Not in Orlando, Florida , to see the 60-year-old fragile dress.
The museum pulled out the dress just 10 days before it made its Met Gala debut, and a room full of people used their strength to get the TV personality into the dress.
But the dress was unable to fit over her rear end, and in a head-turning moment, the crew was forced to leave the back of the gown open to avoid ripping, exposing Kim’s underwear.
As a result, the founder covered the gaping hole with a vintage white coat.
According to sources, the Hulu star ended up wearing the original dress on the red carpet but quickly changed into a replica afterward for comfort purposes.
Ripley’s Believe It or Not! denied permanent damage.
In 2017, Paris Jackson posted a photo of Bella Hadid exhaling smoke with a cigarette between her fingers Credit: Snapchat/parisjackson
Rita Ora shared a shot of actress Dakota Johnson lighting upCredit: Not known clear with Picture Desk
3. BANNED BATHROOM ACTIVITIES
Rules are there to be broken – that is, according to Met Gala attendees.
While is strictly illegal in NYC indoor public spaces, in 2017 a number of stars lit up in the bathroom.
Offenders included , Rami Malik, and .
After the stars were called out in an open letter from the Met’s SVP, Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett, the museum promised to “take steps to ensure this does not happen again.”
Previously we revealed how a claimed a celebrated star, sadly no longer with us, spent more than thirty minutes locked inside a toilet cubicle in the 1990s taking .
It was a big deal, given that this person had been anti-drugs for many years.
4. BARRED NAMES
A number of A-list names have been blacklisted from the Met Gala entirely for shocking reasons.
Nicki Minaj has reportedly been forbidden from attending the gala following her repeated politically charged rants Credit: Getty
Lili Reinhart doesn’t expect to ever receive an invite again to the gala after she criticised Kim Kardashian’s dramatic weight loss measures at the 2022 event Credit: Getty
Anna Wintour, the long-running chair of the prestigious gala , has a strict guest list, and even the most elite aren’t guaranteed entry.
While she’s only publicly confirmed one person’s permanent ban from the event – President Trump – there is a list of others who are forbidden from attending .
Last month, Naughty But Nice‘s Rob Shuter revealed that Nicki Minaj wasn’t invited to the event following her repeated politically charged rants and public appearances.
“Nicki’s invitations didn’t just slow down — they vanished,” an industry insider told the podcaster.
“Hollywood stopped returning her calls. This isn’t subtle anymore. She’s been shut out,” they added.
Meanwhile, Lili Reinhart last attended the Met Gala in 2022, and doesn’t expect to score another invite .
Shortly after the gala, the actress took to her Instagram Stories to slam Kim Kardashian ‘s drastic weight loss measures to fit into her historic gown.
She admitted she stuck to a strict diet to rapidly lose 16 pounds, a method that Lili clearly didn’t support.
“To openly admit to starving yourself for the sake of the Met Gala. When you know very well that millions of young men and women are looking up to you and listening to your every word.
“The ignorance is otherworldly disgusting,” the Hustlers star wrote in her post.
Former judge Tim Gunn revealed he’d been banned from fashion ‘s biggest night after making an ill-received comment about Anna to a reporter.
“It is very true. It is a crazy story, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s a very matter-of-fact story,” Tim said in an interview with E! .
“I was asked what is the most unforgettable thing I’ve ever seen in fashion and I said, ‘It’s easy. It was watching Anna Wintour being carried down five flights of stairs by two bodyguards—two big hulking men—from a fashion show.’”
5. CONTROVERSIAL DRESS
This ‘tax the rich’ dress worn by US politician US politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez saw her end up in hot water Credit: Getty
At the 2021 event, US politician made headlines when she wore a white dress with the words ‘TAX THE RICH’ scrawled across the back.
She was placed under by a nonpartisan watchdog on the premise that she may have violated congressional rules by accepting gifts to attend fashion’s biggest night.
The probe was centred around the payments for the dress she rented to attend the prestigious event. Alexandria denied any wrongdoing.
The investigation found that she did not pay her £359.35 ($477) hair styling and make-up bills until several months after the event.
The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) stated that “there is substantial reason to believe that Rep. Ocasio-Cortez accepted impermissible gifts associated with her attendance at the Met Gala in 2021”.
And while most of the celebrities in attendance are gifted their outfits and styling teams to represent designers, this goes against political rules for the likes of Alexandria.
6. NAKED ATTRACTION
We’ve since seen the likes of Emily Ratajkowski strip off for the red carpet Credit: Getty
Cher was the first Met Gala attendee to bare all back in 1974 Credit: Getty
Long before other A-listers dared to bare on the Met Gala carpet, there was .
The Believe singer paved the way in 1974 with her sheer “naked illusion dress” that was covered in silver crystals and embellished with white feathers on the sleeves and bottom of the dress.
The outfit caused the venue to go “crazy”, and sparked uproar amongst the public in the days that followed.
Designer Bob Mackie recalled of the fateful night: “People were horrified, they thought, ‘that’s not fashion, she’s just naked at the Metropolitan’.
“I’ve never seen so many photographers just come out of the shadows at the Met and take her picture. And of course she was in every newspaper the next day. They’ve been printing it in the last 50 years, over and over again.”
More recently, turned heads at the 2024 in her own see-through dress that exposed her chest.
7. FAITH PALM
Rihanna got a mixed reception for her Pope-inspired Met Gala look in 2018 Credit: AFP
Rihanna’s 2018 Met Gala appearance caused a stir – particularly as she co-hosted the event that year.
For the theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” wore a custom Maison Margiela ensemble by John Galliano.
The look featured a heavily pearl-and-jewel-encrusted mini-dress and matching robe, and also a mitre, the traditional ceremonial headwear of a Pope.
The primary backlash came from conservative religious groups who viewed the outfit as sacrilegious, with critics arguing that wearing a short skirt and “sexy” silhouette while mimicking the head of the Catholic Church was a direct insult.
However, many in the fashion world hailed it a triumph.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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