The Met Gala has come and gone, and what lingers isn’t outrage or even fascination—it’s a noticeable drop in intensity. It was not a failure by any stretch of the imagination. But it felt like… less. The kind of “less” that makes you wonder if the culture has quietly moved a few steps ahead while the event stayed in place. At a point, somebody random on Twitter said, “I’ve seen nothing that makes me gag.” Their words.
Part of that feeling comes from something you can’t measure with attendance or the headlines, which seemed the usual. The internet didn’t bend around it the way it usually does. In previous years, the Met Gala didn’t just unfold on the red carpet—it took over everything. Timelines, social media, and memes would collide. There was always a look, a moment, or a personality that seized control of the conversation. Last year, Andre 300 had a piano on his back, for example. This year, there wasn’t a clear center, although Beyoncé came close (keep reading for more on that). The event happened, people reacted, and then everyone moved on a little faster than expected.
I could be off here, but I do not think I am. The balance of cultural power has been changing for a while now, and nights like this expose it. Traditional celebrities—movie stars, legacy musicians, fashion icons—don’t hold the same monopoly on attention. Influence has splintered thanks to streamer culture, niche creators, and internet-native personalities that are just as interesting as the big dogs. They often generate more sustained engagement than a red carpet appearance. In that environment, the Met Gala starts to feel like a closed loop: highly curated, highly exclusive, but a blip on the proverbial map.
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Of course, there were still bright flashes of individuality. It is the Met Gala.
Heidi Klum leaned into it all, almost as if she was holding onto an older version of the event where going too far was the point. Janelle Monáe offered something more layered, referencing her Cindi Mayweather universe, something I have always loved about her. This felt like a reward for fans like me, those loyalists who’ve followed her work closely. Clearly, Beyoncé operated on her own high-priestess frequency to a very powerful extent.
She did not need the Met Gala to validate her presence. If anything, the event needed her, especially this year. After 10 years, she saved it and without her, it would be disastrous.
The vague art theme did not help.
The looks were more subdued in ways we never saw before. Some overstood the assignment, but most downsized more bold choices. It felt like a carefully calibrated implosion. This is where a red carpet should feel like an exhibition, but I felt it different.
Then there’s the broader context that’s impossible to ignore.
Jeff Bezos, one of the sponsors, doesn’t just register as another ultra-rich attendee. His presence had Taraji P. Henson and others speaking out – loudly. His inclusion, contrasting a permanent Trump ban, felt hypocritical. That financial source has a way of changing perception for regular folks. When people are navigating rising costs in their daily lives, the appetite for watching extreme wealth perform celebration isn’t the same. What once felt aspirational can start to feel oblivious. Like we know how many normal people are drawing a connection to the mass layoffs at Amazon and the cooling off of the Met Gala this year?
It is time to re-read the room, across the board. We may even need to rethink the room completely.
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The Met Gala has long been treated as untouchable. But nothing stays immovable forever. The same question could easily extend to shows like the BET Awards, which are on deck. These institutions still carry history and influence, but the general urban population realizes that BET (Black Entertainment Television) is now owned by Paramount Skydance Corporation. We are all now operating in a landscape where attention is fragmented and transparency is higher. Even the BET Awards host Druski, who has tension with Erika Kirk, may feel like a plant.
Does this make sense? Leave a comment below and share your views. Let’s process this together.
The Met Gala is not fading into irrelevance. It still matters. I wish more people took the approach of influencer Emma Chamberlain and drew from real art for inspiration. Or artists. How powerful would it be if every rich celebrity was partnered with a really rich-in-talent artist for their Met Gala costume? That is painting the town in ways that would be transformative and issuing the assignment to the larger community. It would pull from the masses, included various classes and also leverage the history and might of the night.
The audience is more selective, more aware, and less willing to be swept up purely by scale.
No event of this magnitude loses its significance overnight. This year, the Met Gala just felt, for the first time in a long time, disconnected the rest of the world in a weird unimpressive way.