Celebs wearing nappies, slimming pill slip-ups & outrageous diva demands… what really goes on inside the Met Gala
FROM the outrageous outfits, red carpet drama and behind-the-scenes gossip – there is literally never a dull moment at The Met Gala.
And while it’s technically known as fashion’s biggest night of the year, it’s a ball that’s always equally in the spotlight for the sheer amount of showbiz scandal.
From Madonna‘s raunchy Givenchy gown and Kim Kardashian‘s controversial Marilyn Monroe dress, to Beyonce‘s sister Solange’s lift attack on Jay-Z and Taylor Swift outrageously flirting with Tom Hiddleston – it’s an event that is always talk of the town.
And this year will be no different, as Vogue editor Anna Wintour welcomes guests alongside Met Gala co-chairs who include Chris Hemsworth, Jennifer Lopez and Zendaya.
It’s only a matter of time before more gossip surfaces – but according to our well-placed Met Gala mole, there’s been plenty of drama that hasn’t hit the headlines.
During her ten years working the event as a consultant, and through years mingling with a tight circle backstage, there’s been gossip galore.
Here, for the first time, she reveals all…
Happy… with a nappy
Bizarrely, one year one celebrated actor took huge pride in telling his Hollywood pals and fellow guests he had worn an adult diaper to the gala.
Why? Because he would have to spend several hours in quite an intricate costume that made it hard to go to the bathroom.
He even bragged about how he’d practiced using it in the weeks previously and went as far as suggesting all celebs should wear diapers for long work days!
Slimming pill ‘slip-up’
A globally renowned star had a terrible time one gala, after taking too many weight loss pills.
While walking the red carpet they had an accident in their underwear…
It was actually heartbreaking because he was very humble.
Stylists came to his aid and got him a replacement pair of trousers and underpants.
He was very grateful and has maintained a deep respect for the team at Conde Nast, the host, as a result.
Drugs at dinner
Before 2021, when New York legalised the adult-use of cannabis recreationally, there was a complaint about a particularly unique entertainer.
There were reports he was giving off quite a stench of marijuana smoke at the dinner table.
A star seated near him complained to a Conde Nast executive that he was ‘getting higher every minute I sit at his table’.
‘F*** them!’
There was one year that left a lasting memory when an A-lister, who was performing, didn’t fulfill her sound check and rehearsal spots fully.
This was because she was too busy raging about everything from the sound system, to the layout of the room and the crowd being too close to her.
There were a lot of negotiations with organisers in the final hours before the actual gala.
At one stage she threatened not to perform, going around saying: ‘F*** them, I’m not doing it.’
I’ve heard that even Oprah went into the dressing room to try to calm her down.
The show was a knockout, but what a lot of stress!
Shy ‘Superhero’ security concerns
Another star, known for being a modern superhero, asked security to escort him to the bathroom.
The reason was so he didn’t get mobbed in the restroom.
He told organisers he’d experienced several incidents where over-excited female fans had shamelessly followed him into the men’s to try to seduce him or snap photos.
He also asked if security could turn to face away from him too.
WHAT IS THE MET GALA? THE FACTS
It's the biggest night in fashion - but how much do you actually know about the Met Gala?
- The gala was established in 1948 by publicist Eleanor Lambert, and is a fundraiser dedicated to New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
- Typically the event takes place every first Monday in May, which this year is the 6th.
- Every year there is a theme. The 2024 Met Gala theme is ‘Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion’ and an official dress code of ‘The Garden of Time’.
- It’s not cheap. Tickets go for approximately £23,000, while tables cost £211,000 – and of course attendees are expected to splash thousands on their look, too.
- American Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour has been a chair member of the gala since 1995.
Snorting cocaine in the cubicles
One celebrated star – who is sadly no longer with us – spent half an hour locked inside a cubicle clearly taking drugs one year.
People reportedly could hear her snorting.
She threw her handbag down inside, sending the contents scattering all over the floor.
She was heard cursing as she scrambled to pick up her make-up and what was thought to be cocaine went all over her lipstick container.
‘It’s New York – you gotta get laid, right?’
Another famous female actress was heard speaking to her boyfriend from a bathroom cubicle.
She was on the phone to someone believed to be her boyfriend and moaning about how she was really annoyed to be at the event.
She said she was only doing it to please her agent.
She then spelled out to her lover what she was going to do to him sexually when she got home.
When she left she was laughing about what people had heard and said something like, ‘hey, it’s New York. You’ve gotta get laid, right?’.
‘New York is my f***ing town’
One of the senior Conde Nast executives had to expressly tell one of the guests that his invitation was for him and not his usual 20-man entourage.
He initially threw a complete fit saying that ‘New York is my f***ing town. I’ll do what I want’.
Fortunately he did come alone, other than for his date.
During preparation meetings, one of the team explained that the reason his security was effectively banned from the premises was because they had seen them at other events ‘openly waving around firearms and threatening event staff with violence.’
A persistent plus one problem
Several famous faces have tried to sneak in friends or assistants once the Gala has started, and it’s a common problem.
One claimed her doctor needed to come in because she felt low and needed her vitamins.
They wouldn’t let the person in so she left.
Many at her table felt she was just getting drugs.
The event invite is clear: ‘you get a plus one’, and if you’re lucky a publicist and stylist or designer will walk you along the carpet.
A clear message that this prestigious event is not a ‘free for all.’