With Beyoncé’s outfit labeled the “WORST” by Met Gala fans, which looks received the “BEST”? 😨 60+ photos highlighting the most memorable looks of the night are waiting in the comments. ⬇️

The annual gala that doubles as fashion’s most watched spectacle delivered another unforgettable evening, complete with rule-bending, stunning solo arrivals, and a best-dressed debate that’s still going.

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The 2026 Met Gala took place on Monday, May 4, with Beyoncé, Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, and Anna Wintour co-chairing the event. The night’s theme, “Costume Art,” launched a sweeping new exhibition at the Met’s newly inaugurated Condé M. Nast Galleries.

Beyoncé attends the Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Beyoncé attends the Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026, in New York City | Source: Getty Images

And while the looks were doing plenty of talking, so was everything else: a brand-new age rule that at least two famous daughters apparently sidestepped, a singer and a model who showed up in a forbidden piece of clothing, and a best-dressed race that had Beyoncé herself on the wrong end of the argument.

KFC’s account comment about the look of two celebrities at the Met Gala on May 4, 2026 | Source: X/KFC
KFC’s account comment about the look of two celebrities at the Met Gala on May 4, 2026 | Source: X/KFC

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Fashion’s Biggest Night, by the Numbers
The Met Gala is the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual fundraiser for its Costume Institute, timed each year to mark the opening of the department’s spring exhibition. In 2025, it broke its own record with a $31 million gross, the biggest haul in the event’s 77-year history.

Steve Newhouse, Anna Wintour, Misty Copeland, and Max Hollein attend the press announcement for the Costume Institute exhibition “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 17, 2025, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Steve Newhouse, Anna Wintour, Misty Copeland, and Max Hollein attend the press announcement for the Costume Institute exhibition “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 17, 2025, in New York City | Source: Getty Images

This year’s “Costume Art” exhibition is no small undertaking. Spanning nearly 12,000 square feet and pairing garments with art objects across some 5,000 years of history, it organizes the dressed body into thematic categories, from the “Classical Body” to the often-overlooked “Pregnant Body” and “Aging Body.” The dress code for guests was “Fashion Is Art,” and some took that more literally than others.

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Andrew Bolton speaks during the press announcement for the Costume Institute exhibition “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 17, 2025, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Andrew Bolton speaks during the press announcement for the Costume Institute exhibition “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on November 17, 2025, in New York City | Source: Getty Images

Inside the event, Sabrina Carpenter and Madonna performed. The host committee co-chairs were Anthony Vaccarello and Zoë Kravitz, and Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos served as honorary chairs as the event’s lead sponsors.

Madonna attends the Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Madonna attends the Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026, in New York City | Source: Getty Images

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The 2026 gala also marked several debut appearances, including Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, Chase Infiniti, Paul Anthony Kelly, and Sombr.

Connor Storrie attends the Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026, in New York City | Source: Getty Images
Connor Storrie attends the Met Gala celebrating “Costume Art” at The Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 4, 2026, in New York City | Source: Getty Images

The Protocol Problem
This year’s event came with a notable new rule: a minimum age of 18 to attend. Organizers confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter that the restriction was an executive decision rooted in the nature of the party itself, described as simply “not an appropriate event for people under 18.” Exceptions are possible when a parent accompanies guests.

Two celebrity children who appeared to fall under that exception were Blue Ivy Carter and Sunday Rose Kidman Urban. Both are minors, but both had co-chairs for mothers, which may explain their presence on the carpet.