25 of the wildest celebrity moments in Met Gala history

The Met Gala usually inspires grand fashion moments, so Liv Tyler and Stella McCartney's DIY-looking tank tops in 1999 were certainly a deviation from the rest of the couture on the red carpet. 

The theme was "Rock Style," so their tops also read "rock royalty" in honor of their famous fathers, Aerosmith front-runner Steven Tyler and Beatles bassist Paul McCartney. 

In a 2013 interview with USA Today, Gwyneth Paltrow vowed that she wouldn't return to the Met Gala after that year's event.

"I'm never going again. It was so un-fun. It was boiling. It was too crowded. I did not enjoy it at all," she told the publication.

But she changed her tune in 2017. She posted an Instagram of herself at her first Met Gala in 1995 with the hashtag "#fullcirclemomentcomingup" before attending the event.

It's unclear exactly what made her return, but in 2017, she was also partnering up with Anna Wintour — who chaired the Met Gala for several years — for a quarterly print version of her Goop website. 

Scoring a coveted invite to the Met Gala isn't an easy feat. Despite Kim Kardashian's popularity, Wintour reportedly refused to invite her for years because she didn't consider reality-TV stars to be on the same plane as Hollywood A-listers.

When Kanye West headlined the Gala in 2013, Kardashian finally got to go as her then-partner's date.

At the time, Kardashian was pregnant with North and donned a bold body-hugging Givenchy dress in a floral print.

The internet quickly turned her look into a meme, cruelly comparing her to a couch and Mrs. Doubtfire. 

In one of the most extreme hair transformations in Met Gala history, longtime brunette Anne Hathaway showed up to the 2013 event with a shocking platinum-blonde pixie hairdo.

Back in 2014, surveillance footage showed Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange, appearing to get into a physical altercation with Jay-Z in an elevator at a Met Gala after-party.

Footage from the elevator showed what appeared to be Solange attacking her brother-in-law while Beyoncé stood idly by.

No one knew exactly what provoked the incident, but fans speculated that it may have had something to do with Jay-Z's suspected infidelity at the time. 

In a statement to Associated Press later shared by CNN, the family said there has been a lot of speculation about what happened and why but "the most important thing is that our family has worked through it." 

The statement continued to say Jay-Z and Solange "both acknowledge their role in this private matter that has played out in the public. They both have apologized to each other and we have moved forward as a united family."

Walking around in a giant ball gown is tough, so it's not really surprising that someone took a tumble down the Met's famed steps.

Hayden Panettiere's Dennis Basso dress proved to be a little too long in 2014, causing her to stumble down the carpeted stairs.

Luckily, she quickly picked herself up and went on as if nothing happened.

Fans watching the event at home are often quick to respond to bold fashion choices and chaotic moments on social media.

When Sarah Jessica Parker donned a big red-and-black headpiece for the 2015 Met Gala to try and fit the theme, "China: Through the Looking Glass," it inspired many to create memes poking a little fun at the bold fashion choice. 

In 2015, the singer arrived a full hour after the last celebrity on the red carpet because she reportedly wanted to change her hair.

Her hairstylist, Neal Farinah, told Us Weekly after the event that she originally stepped out in an "Asian-inspired chignon," but she felt it was too "costumey," so she decided to change it to a high ponytail. 

Not only did Rihanna look stunning in the yellow Guo Pei dress she wore to the 2015 Met Gala, but also she scored major points for wearing a gown by a Chinese designer.

Many celebs incorporated nods to Chinese culture in their outfits for the themed event, but few actually wore anything designed by Chinese designers

Rihanna reportedly researched "Chinese couture" and came across the dress, which took Guo Pei two years to make. 

The Met Gala is filled with plenty of eye-catching and out-there accessories, but a birthday cake is one of the more unique ones. 

Lady Gaga had a special three-tiered, gold-dipped cake made for Donatella Versace to celebrate the designer's 61st birthday, which coincided with the 2016 gala. 

Leave it to Madonna to show up to the Met in nothing but lace. The star attended the 2016 event wearing a dress by Riccardo Tisci for Givenchy that left little to the imagination.

Madonna later took to Instagram to defend her outfit choice, writing, "We have fought and continue to fight for civil rights and gay rights around the world. When it comes to Women's rights we are still in the dark ages. My dress at the Met Ball was a political statement as well as a fashion statement."

Just a week after releasing "Lemonade," which included multiple references to infidelity, Beyoncé stoked the rumor fire by showing up to the Met Gala without her husband, Jay-Z.

Fans read into the arrival as yet another sign that the duo's relationship was on the fritz. 

Since then, the couple has been more open about the difficulties in their marriage, and they're still together. 

Sarah Paulson might be a huge celebrity in her own right, but even she couldn't help but stare when Madonna posed by her on the red carpet during the 2017 Met Gala.

Madonna took Paulson's admiration in stride and posted a shot of the actress on her own Instagram account with the caption, "Hahaahhahahhaahahha Love you Sarah!" with lots of fun emojis. 

In a photo snapped at the 2018 event, Nicki Minaj greeted a pregnant Cardi B as designer Jeremy Scott stood close behind the pair. 

A Twitter user pointed out that the photo is very reminiscent of the painting "Visitation" by Renaissance artist Jacques Daret.

The moment was made even more perfect by the fact that the theme of the event was "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination."

Rapper 2 Chainz made the Met Gala red carpet even more exciting when he proposed to his longtime girlfriend Kesha Ward on the middle of the steps. 

She said yes, and the two later wed at Versace Mansion in Miami — a nod to the fact that Versace invited the rapper to the event when she chaired the event. 

Lady Gaga is no stranger to outrageous fashion choices, but she outdid herself at the 2019 Met Gala.

The theme was "Camp: Notes on Fashion," and the singer committed to her red-carpet entrance by doing four full costume changes up and down the stairs.

She went from wearing an oversized fuchsia gown to a black bra-and-underwear set. 

In an homage to a 2018 Gucci runway show, Jared Leto showed up at the 2019 Met Gala holding his own severed head. 

His full look included a red Gucci high-neck gown embellished with jewels, but his unique accessory definitely stole the show. 

Zendaya committed to the camp theme of the 2019 Met Gala by showing up in a full-blown Cinderella ball gown. 

Her stylist, Law Roach, dressed as her fairy godmother, and when he waved his magic wand, her dress lit up.

Zendaya even went as far as to leave a glass slipper behind on the staircase. 

Tiffany Haddish stuck to the theme for the 2019 Met Gala in her campy, sequined zebra-print suit, but her wild red-carpet moment had nothing to do with her outfit. 

During a live interview with E! News, the actress opened her clutch to reveal a plastic bag of fried chicken.

"There's not enough food, so I brought some," she said. "I got chicken in my bag."

The 2019 Met Gala was full of full-out red-carpet performances. 

From pulling up in a hot-pink convertible to carrying a blow-dryer-shaped purse, Kacey Musgraves went all out by becoming a real-life Barbie for the event. 

Although Cher hasn't walked the Met Gala red carpet since 2015, she gave a surprise performance at the 2019 event.

She committed to the camp theme by wearing a big blonde wig, lace camisole, and patched jeans during her performance of ABBA's "Waterloo" before changing into one of her signature sheer jumpsuits to sing some of her own hits. 

Kardashian shocked fans once again with her outfit choice at the 2021 event. She walked the steps in a tight head-to-toe black outfit, designed by Balenciaga creative director Demna, that only left her long ponytail exposed. 

The designer told Vogue in February that the ensemble was a tribute to how Kardashian "redefined our understanding of what beauty is."

"I fought against it. I was like, I don't know how I could wear the mask. Why would I want to cover my face?" Kardashian told the publication for the same February feature. "But Demna and the team were like, This is a costume gala. This is not a Vanity Fair party where everyone looks beautiful. There's a theme and you have to wear the mask. That is the look."

Demna added, "People would know instantly it was Kim because of her silhouette. They wouldn't even need to see her face, you know?"

In 2021, Billie Eilish ascended the Met stairs in a giant apricot-colored tulle ball gown reminiscent of Marilyn Monroe and old-Hollywood glam — and a stark contrast to her usual dark and baggy wardrobe.

But according to The New York Times, Eilish only agreed to partner with Oscar de la Renta for the event after the designer brand agreed to stop using and selling fur. 

For 2022's "In America: An Anthology of Fashion" gala, Kardashian borrowed the historic gown Monroe wore to sing "Happy Birthday" to President John F. Kennedy in 1962 from Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum in Orlando.

According to Vogue, several precautions were put in place to ensure the dress stayed in mint condition. Kardashian told the publication, "The dress was transported by guards and I had to wear gloves to try it on."

But during her first fitting, the dress didn't fit properly. Since it couldn't be altered, Kardashian adhered to a strict diet and exercise plan leading up to the event to slim down. 

On the day of the event, the celebrity only wore the real dress for a few minutes on the red carpet before changing into a replica in order to keep the gown safe. 

The 2023 Met Gala dress code was "In Honor of Karl," a tribute to late fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. 

Instead of wearing one of the designers' creations, Leto walked down the red carpet in an oversized, furry cat costume, resembling Lagerfeld's white Birman Choupette. 

This story was originally published in April 2018 and most recently updated on May 3, 2024.