The Met Gala's most scandalous moments ever

The Met Gala is one of the biggest fashion events of the year but it’s no stranger to some headline-grabbing controversy too.

From celeb feuds and fights to Anna Wintour’s golden rules being broken, there have been several occasions where the backstage antics have outshone the event itself.

The Met Gala - also known as the Met Ball - is held annually to raise money for the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute in New York City, and is often regarded as one of the world's most prestigious fashion events.

However, while most stars are on their best behavior on the night, others have dominated the headlines for their behavior.

One of the most shocking moments to come from the Met Gala was back in 2014 when Elevator-gate dominated the headlines.

This was the year Beyoncé’s sister Solange Knowles got into a physical fight with Jay Z in an elevator at the Met Gala afterparty.

Dramatic CCTV footage was leaked after the incident, showing Solange appearing to hit out and kick Jay Z while Beyonce looked on from the corner of the lift in the Standard Hotel, before the trio left the venue looking solemn as Jay clutched his cheek.

The couple released a statement after the footage was leaked to TMZ, telling fans: "As a result of the public release of the elevator security footage from Monday, May 5th, there has been a great deal of speculation about what triggered the unfortunate incident.

"But the most important thing is that our family has worked through it. Jay and Solange each assume their share of responsibility for what has occurred. They 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."

They added: “At the end of the day, families have problems and we're no different. We love each other and above all we are family. We've put this behind us and hope everyone else will do the same."

Bey is believed to have addressed the incident on her song 'Flawless', singing “Of course sometimes s**t go down when there’s a billion dollars on an elevator.”

With her 2016 album Lemonade touching on Jay Z’s alleged infidelity, many fans believed that may have been part of the cause of the elevator incident two years earlier.

It’s not just Jay Z and Solange that reportedly had a falling out at the Met Gala, as Demi Lovato and Nicki Minaj reportedly didn’t get on too well either.

The pair attended 2016’s event alongside designer Jeremy Scott and posed for photos on the red carpet together.

However, things appeared to be less rosy behind the scenes after Nicki posted a photo of the three of them at the event and only tagged Jeremy and not Demi.

Demi responded by commenting a laughing emoji, peace sign, and thumbs up, before sharing a photo of her own in which Nicki appeared to be giving her a serious side-eye.

She captioned the snap: “This picture pretty much summed up my first and probably last met” along with several laughing emojis, and later deleted the photo.

Demi addressed the night two years later, telling Billboard: "I had a terrible experience. This one celebrity was a complete b***h and was miserable to be around. It was very cliquey. I remember being so uncomfortable that I wanted to drink."

The Skyscraper star, who has been open about her past addictions to drugs and alcohol, said she left the Met gala and went straight to an AA meeting instead.

Madonna's no stranger to the headlines. Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

Madonna’s no stranger to a headline or two but the Material Girl opted to push the boundaries of fashion further than anyone at the Met Gala ever had (which is no mean feat in itself), in 2016.

The theme that year was Manus X Machina: Fashion In The Age Of Technology, and Madonna interpreted that in the form of a sheer dress with her backside fully on show.

She said at the time: “My dress at the Met Ball was a political statement as well as a fashion statement. The fact that people actually believe a woman is not allowed to express her sexuality and be adventurous past a certain age is proof that we still live in an age-ist and sexist society.”

And it’s safe to say the singer has stuck by her word and rocked many more unapologetically provocative looks in the years since.

Madonna's booty-baring dress raised eyebrows. Credit: REUTERS / Alamy

Another fashion look that instantly comes to mind when thinking of the Met Gala is Kim Kardashian’s floral gown from 2013.

The reality star attended the prestigious event for the first time while pregnant with her first child North West, but ended up being the butt of several jokes and memes thanks to her dress.

While Kim herself looked flawless as usual, many people couldn’t get past the dress’s print being pretty reminiscent of the three-piece sofa set your nan definitely had in her house in the 90s.

Kim Kardashian's "couch dress" spawned hundreds of memes. Credit: AFF / Alamy

Kim admitted the “couch dress” meme made her cry, telling Vogue in 2019: “I was crying the whole way home. Because I just couldn’t believe it. There were all these memes about me and this couch.”

While the Met Gala famously has a ban on social media, Kylie Jenner proved rules were meant to be broken in 2017 as she captured one of the most iconic photos from the event in the bathroom.

The reality star took a mirror selfie with a host of stars including Diddy, Paris Jackson, Frank Ocean, and Brie Larson among others in the toilets, which pretty much broke the internet that year.

The ban on social media is reportedly down to Anna Wintour herself not being a fan of the medium - but even she can’t argue with the fact that is one epic photo.

It seems 2017 definitely was the year to throw the rulebook out of the window as several other stars got in hot water by allegedly smoking in the bathroom.

The Met Gala doesn’t usually have a smoking area but Dakota Johnson, Rami Malek, Bella Hadid, Marc Jacobs, and Paris Jackson were among those caught on camera sneaking to the toilets to have a cigarette, while Armie Hammer was snapped puffing on a vape.

An anonymous source who claimed to be a donor to the Met revealed their fury, telling Page Six at the time: “Mostly, it’s disrespectful to the art collection which needs to be kept 100 percent smoke-free. I would honestly like to see these people fined by the city.”

Fans believe Taylor Swift’s romance with Tom Hiddleston may have been sparked after the pair met at the Met Gala in 2016 - when she was still dating Calvin Harris.

Taylor and Tom were seen dancing to The Weeknd’s set together that evening and a month later she announced she and Calvin had called it quits.

By June, Taylor and Tom were officially together and known by fans as “Hiddleswift” - but sadly, despite Tom literally declaring his love via a white vest with "I Heart TS" on it, their romance was ultimately short-lived.

The Met Gala can be pretty divisive as a whole, and while many celebs strive their whole careers to get the coveted invite, others think it’s not what it’s cracked up to be.

In 2013, Gwyneth Paltrow vowed she would never attend again as it was “un-fun” and “boiling”, but then went back on her word and turned up in 2017 and 2019.

Gwyneth Paltrow was not impressed with the Met Gala in 2013. Credit: AFF / Alamy

Tina Fey also had some choice words about the event, calling it a “jerk parade” in 2015 and said she would never go again.

While 2023’s event hasn’t even happened yet, it’s already stirring up controversy of its own after the theme was revealed to be “in honor of Karl” Lagerfeld.

While it is meant to reflect the late fashion designer’s work, some stars including Jameela Jamil have criticized the choice, given Karl Lagerfeld’s past problematic comments.

The designer had previously come under fire for his critical comments on plus-sized models, immigration and saying he was “fed up” with the #MeToo movement.

Featured image credit: Ovidiu Hrubaru / Alamy