The first Monday in May has arrived, which in the fashion world means one thing: the stars have descended upon Manhattan for the Met’s annual gala benefiting the Costume Institute. This year’s edition, co-chaired by Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour—with Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos as honorary chairs—celebrates the opening of “Costume Art,” an exhibition pairing garments and artworks from across the Met’s vast collection to make the case for fashion as an embodied art form. The dress code, “Fashion Is Art,” plays on the same theme.
The gala surpassed last year’s $31 million in funds raised with a record-breaking $42 million, an especially vital sum given that the Costume Institute is largely self-funded. That’s part of what makes the night so important for supporting the arts, and while the parade of celebrities, designers, and artists posing in meticulously crafted looks is the night’s biggest draw, the spontaneous moments once guests clear the museum steps are the most coveted. That’s in part because phones and photography inside the gala have been banned—per Wintour—since 2015, though a few candid photos typically manage to make it out (you might recall 2017’s infamous bathroom-smoking photos). Below, the behind-the-scenes celeb run-ins and moments from the 2026 Met Gala you might’ve missed.
Sunday Rose Kidman Urban and Nicole Kidman
Anok Yai and Pierpaolo Piccioli
Beyoncé
Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter
Blue Ivy and Beyoncé inside the Met
Rihanna, Ciara and Katy Perry
Rihanna, Heidi Klum, and A$AP Rocky
Co-chairs Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman and Beyoncé
Charli xcx and Sabrina Carpenter
Teyana Taylor and Connor Storrie
Rosé and Lisa
Rosé and Gigi Hadid
Laufey and Sombr
Odessa A’zion and Chase Infiniti
Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian
Ayo Edebiri and Zoë Kravitz
Zoë Kravitz, Lily-Rose Depp and Gracie Abrams
Ayo Edebiri and Lily-Rose Depp
Tate McRae, Rosé, and Connor Storrie
Sabrina Carpenter, Zoë Kravitz, and Hailey Bieber
Jisoo, Rosé, Lisa, and Jennie
Connor Storrie, Charli xcx, and Tate McRae
Sabrina Carpenter admiring the Met’s art collection
Hailey Bieber and Kylie Jenner
Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, and Zoë Kravitz
Hailey Bieber, SZA, and Doechii
SZA, Doechii, and Hailey Bieber
Kylie Jenner, Kendall Jenner, and Russell Westbrook
Chase Sui Wonders, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Hailey Bieber
Olivia Wilde and Katy Perry
Hailey Bieber, Hunter Schafer, Lux Pascal, Paloma Elsesser, Alex Consani, and Kylie Jenner
Alexis Roche, Kylie Jenner, and John Galliano
Colman Domingo and Janelle Monáe
Felicity Blunt, Heidi Klum, Colman Domingo, Emily Blunt, Carey Mulligan, and Nicholas Hoult
Jordan Roth, Paul Anthony Kelly, and Olivia Wilde
Mark Zuckerberg, Alysa Liu, and Priscilla Chan
Coco Jones and Doechii
Greta Gerwig, Stella McCartney, and Tate McRae
Jennie, Hoyeon, and Chase Infiniti
Chase Infiniti and Hoyeon
Jennie, Hoyeon, and Chase Infiniti
Margot Robbie and Lily-Rose Depp
Olivia Wilde and Patrick Schwarzenegger
Huma Abedin and Ben Stiller
Julianne Moore and Lux Pascal
Ben Stiller and Heidi Klum
