Stars Who Hated the Met Gala — Who Went Back for More?
The Met Gala may be fashion’s biggest night, but not every star is dazzled. Gwyneth Paltrow was among the first to admit the Costume Institute’s glitzy fundraiser wasn’t much fun—and she’s not the only one.
The Met Gala is supposed to be the ultimate fashion night out. Some stars live for it. Others? Not so much. Case in point: Gwyneth Paltrow, who was refreshingly blunt about her experience and then, in a very Hollywood twist, showed up again anyway.
Gwyneth vs. the Met Gala
Back in 2013, after attending the Costume Institute fundraiser at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, Paltrow told USA Today she did not have a good time. She framed the event as one of those things that looks like magic from the outside but plays very differently once you are actually in the room: too hot, too crowded, lots of shoving, and not remotely fun.
'Do you want me to be honest? ... It sucked.'
She doubled down on the vibe check too, calling it basically not fun at all, boiling, and far too packed. She even said she was never going back.
And then she went back
Cut to a few years later, and the vow didn't stick. Paltrow returned to the Met steps in 2017 and again in 2019. Translation: even the loudest Met Gala skeptics can find their way back to the dress code.
- 2013: Paltrow publicly slams the Met Gala experience to USA Today (hot, crowded, pushy, not fun) and says she's done.
- 2017: She comes back.
- 2019: She comes back again.
Plenty of celebrities have opinions about the Met Gala; Paltrow was one of the first big names to say the quiet part out loud. And if you're wondering whether deep Met Gala skepticism and future Met Gala attendance can coexist, well, her timeline answers that.