These Celebrities Are Legit Banned (!!) From the Met Gala

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The Met Gala is technically a fundraising event for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but let’s be honest: It’s mostly an excuse for a bunch of super-famous celebrities to dress in beautifully designed outfits and socialize with each other. Now, this obviously sounds like a blast (would give anything to chill with my husband Timothée Chalemet), but some celebs are…simply not into it and, incidentally, have made their feelings all kinds of known.

While Anna Wintour has only admitted to indefinitely banning one person from the Met Gala, plenty of celebrities are rumored to be banned due to comments they’ve made about the event. Meanwhile, some others have simply made it clear they don’t want to attend. Like, ever again! Time to meet the stars you probably shouldn’t expect to show up on the steps of the Met this year.

Rachel Zoe

There were rumors that Rachel was nixed from the Met Gala invite list after she told the following to the New York Times: “Anna Wintour is one of my heroes, but they say that I’m more influential. As great as it is, Vogue won’t change a designer’s business. But if an unknown brand is worn by a certain person in a tabloid, it will be the biggest designer within a week.”

That! Said!!! It’s important to note that the comments she made were from way back in 2007 and she was at the Met Gala in 2012, so…¯_(ツ)_/¯

Donald Trump

Anna Wintour herself confirmed that he was banned, telling James Corden “Donald Trump” when asked which celebrity she would never, ever invite to the Met Gala.

Demi Lovato

Demi candidly chatted about their experience at the Met Gala during an interview with Billboard in 2018, and they haven’t attended since. “I had a terrible experience,” they said at the time. “This one celebrity was a complete bitch and was miserable to be around. It was very cliquey. I remember being so uncomfortable that I wanted to drink.”

Demi actually went directly from the Gala to an AA meeting, saying, “I changed my clothes, but I still had my diamonds on—millions of dollars of diamonds on in an AA meeting. And I related more to the homeless people in that meeting who struggled with the same struggles that I deal with than the people at the Met Gala—fake and sucking the fashion industry’s dick.”

The celeb also poked fun at how awkward they felt at the Met Gala in a since-deleted Instagram that they defended when it was taken out of context:

Amy Schumer

Amy’s statement on the Met Gala didn’t get her banned permanently (as far as we know!), but she made it clear how she felt about the event during an interview with Howard Stern in 2016: “It’s people doing an impression of having a conversation. I don’t like the farce…We’re dressed up like a bunch of fucking assholes. I don’t like it. I have no interest in fashion…I don’t care.”

Tim Gunn

We know for sure Tim Gunn was banned from the Met Gala because he said as much in 2016. “It is very true. It is a crazy story, and as far as I’m concerned, it’s a very matter-of-fact story. 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.’ All hell broke loose. It was insane. We’ve had an open war ever since.”

Gwyneth Paltrow

The Goop creator made some pointed comments about her time at the Met Gala back in 2013, telling the Kyle and Jackie O Show (via Us Weekly) that “it sucked” and “it seems like it’s the best thing in the world…You always think, Oh my god, it’s gonna be so glamorous and amazing and you’re going to see all these people, and then you get there and it’s so hot and it’s so crowded and everyone’s pushing you. I think we’re all a bit old to dress up punk.”

Apparently, these comments didn’t go over super well, but Gwyneth returned to the Met Gala in 2017 and 2019, so water under the bridge!

Zayn Malik

Zayn attended the 2016 Met Gala with his then-girlfriend Gigi Hadid but made it clear he had no interest in a redo. “Now it’s not something I would go to,” he told GQ in 2018. “I’d rather be sitting at my house doing something productive than dressing up in really expensive clothes and being photographed on a red carpet…to do the self-indulgent ‘look at me, I’m amazing’ thing on the red carpet, it’s not me.”

Tina Fey

Another comedian who simply doesn’t love the Met Gala? That’d be Tina Fey, who, back in 2015, told David Letterman, “I have gone to it once and it is such a jerk parade. Clearly, I’ll never go again, but you go and it’s this beautiful space and it’s just every jerk from every walk of life is there wearing some stupid thing. You walk up these huge steps…and I went and I dragged my husband along with me too, which I’m still in trouble for.”

Lili Reinhart

The Riverdale actor attended the Met Gala in 2022 but has openly admitted she doesn’t believe she’ll be invited back after criticizing Kim Kardashian’s rapid weight loss to fit into the dress Marilyn Monroe famously donned to serenade John F. Kennedy for his 45th birthday.

Lili took to her Instagram Stories in the days after the event and wrote, “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.” “Please stop supporting these stupid, harmful celebrities whose entire image revolves around their bodies. I am not generally an angry person but I swear to god, the toxicity of this industry sometimes really gets to me,” she added.

In a subsequent interview with W Magazine, Lili took a moment to open up about the evening, revealing that it, “Was fun, but after going again this year, I don’t think I’ll be invited back…I said a certain something about a certain person in a certain dress.”

Whelp. On that note, can’t wait for this year’s event!

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