Category Entertainment News

The Met Gala, one of the biggest events in the fashion calendar, has seen its fair share of scandals over the years – from smoking celebs to a man trapped in a box

The Met Gala has seen its fair share of eyebrow-raising antics from the glitterati. With incidents ranging from outraged philanthropists blasting celebs for puffing on cigarettes next to invaluable artworks, to a naked party-crasher caged in perspex; from political slogans scribed on haute couture gowns to that nude illusion dress we all can’t forget – it’s no shocker that this night can churn out some wild stories.

The 2025 bash is all set to roll out at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, with a star-studded roster pegged to attend. Brace yourselves for a sizzling scoop of scandal from this year.

To gear up for what’s in store, we’ve looked at a list of the most gasp-worthy Met Gala controversies from yesteryears – just scroll down and take a trip down the memory lane of Met mayhem.

In the naughty noughties, an unruly fad sprouted at the gala as celebs were snapped lighting up in the loo, shots hitting the internet like wildfire. A notorious picture captures ’50 Shades’ sensation Dakota Johnson mid-smoke, while fashion maverick Marc Jacobs, style setter Char DeFrancesco, and rock royalty Frances Bean Cobain joined in with a ciggie-clad group fiesta, reports the Daily Star.

These rebel poses ruffled feathers among the elite as critics reminded that New York has been a no-smoke zone across eateries, bars, and businesses since 2003. Plus, these A-list offenders were blasted as “disrespectful”, merely a stone’s throw away from masterpieces worth millions.

A source vented to Page Six: “As a donor to the Met, I was so insulted to see all these celebrities smoking and taking selfies of themselves in the bathroom.

“Mostly it is disrespectful to the art collection, which needs to be kept 100% smoke-free. I would honestly like to see these people fined by the city.”

In a bizarre 2017 incident, two suited men arrived at the Met Gala with a clear plastic box containing Russian performance artist Fyodor Pavlov-Andreevich, stark naked.

The men dumped the box on the red carpet, leaving security scrambling to cover it with a large white sheet. The box was swiftly removed from the red carpet, with reports suggesting firefighters had to use a saw to crack it open.

Another memorable moment came in 2014 when footage surfaced of Solange allegedly assaulting her sister Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z in an elevator after the Met Gala.

A security guard reportedly intervened during the incident, which took place at The Standard High Line. The trigger for the alleged altercation remains unconfirmed, though some speculate it was due to “family tensions”.

Trailblazer Cher turned heads at the 1974 Met Gala when she rocked up in a diamond-studded, see-through dress with a feather trim and long pointed nails. A sheer, flesh-toned outfit might not raise eyebrows today, but back then, the fashion-forward star left spectators gobsmacked.

The Believe singer pushed boundaries with her daring outfit and is often credited with popularising the “illusion dress” in mainstream fashion.

In 2021, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also known as AOC, made a statement at the Met Gala with a bold message emblazoned on the back of her gown.

Her Brother Vellies dress featured a striking red slogan that read “TAX THE RICH” across the back of the off-the-shoulder, mermaid-style gown, which was paired with a matching white tulle skirt. AOC completed her look with a matching slogan bag.

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Brazilian singer Jackie Apostel, who is dating David and Victoria Beckham’s youngest son Cruz, appears to have taken a swipe at Brooklyn and his wife Nicola Peltz

A new layer of intrigue has emerged in the ongoing speculation surrounding the Beckham family dynamic, and this time, it might be Cruz Beckham’s girlfriend stirring the pot.

Brazilian singer Jackie Apostel, 29, who is dating Cruz, 20, appeared alongside him at several of David Beckham’s 50th birthday events. While the rest of the Beckham clan gathered to toast the milestone, one pair was noticeably absent – his eldest son Brooklyn and his wife, actress Nicola Peltz.

Despite being in London at the time, the couple didn’t show face at any of the celebratory gatherings – a move that has reportedly left David and Victoria Beckham deeply hurt.

Jackie, who is said to have grown close to Victoria, subtly added fuel to the fire with a seemingly heartfelt Instagram post from the festivities.

One photo showed Cruz cheekily holding a knife toward her in a joking manner, while Jackie captioned the collection: “I wish you could feel how much love was in the room these days through the phone.” A sweet sentiment on the surface – but fans have speculated that it also a quiet dig at those who chose not to show up.

Victoria, 50, also shared her own carousel of birthday weekend memories, tagging Romeo, Cruz, and Harper – but Brooklyn’s name was noticeably absent.

Typically, Victoria would acknowledge his absence with a note like “missing you @brooklynbeckham”, but this year, there was no such message. Her caption read: “Creating special memories with family and friends. We love you all. @romeobeckham @cruzbeckham #HarperSeven xx.”

David echoed the sentiment with a repost and a similarly pointed omission: “I love you all, thank you for making my birthday so memorable.”

Behind the scenes, insiders have confirmed that Brooklyn had informed his parents in advance that he and Nicola would not be attending. Despite this, there was hope that they might change their minds. “David is heartbroken but putting a brave face on it,” a source revealed. “Tonight is all about celebration and love, and he is swimming in it.”

Those close to the family have hinted that tension has been simmering for some time. One friend noted: “Both have very much been invited as much-loved members of the family. But you never know, Brooklyn and Nicola will do what they want to do.”

Another added to Mail Online: “It would absolutely destroy David if any fall-outs carry on and become big deals.”

Meanwhile, Nicola took to Instagram with a moving tribute on Sunday to her late grandmothers. The 30-year-old posted photos and a message about loss and family bonds.

She wrote: “In life we have core memories and this is one of my most favorite days i’ve ever lived… to my nanni and my gina i can’t fathom the thought of not being able to hug you or hear your laugh right now – I just miss you both so much.”

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Jury selection began Monday in New York in the blockbuster federal sex trafficking trial of music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs, who stands accused of years of harrowing abuse.

Combs, 55, has pleaded not guilty on all counts, insisting that any sex acts were consensual — but prosecutors say for years he coerced victims into drug-fueled sex parties using threats and violence.

At a recent hearing, his attorney Marc Agnifilo offered a preview of his team’s defense by describing the artist’s free-wheeling “swinger” lifestyle.

The prosecution said it had offered Combs a plea deal — the specifics were not disclosed — but that he had rejected it.

The high-profile trial attracted a long line of media and other court watchers early Monday hoping to get inside for jury selection, which is expected to wrap up in about a week.

READ ALSO: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Pleads Not Guilty To New Charges

Opening statements are tentatively scheduled for May 12, and the proceedings will last an estimated eight to 10 weeks.

Combs faces one charge of racketeering conspiracy, the federal statute known by its acronym RICO that was once primarily used to target the mafia but in recent years has been wielded in cases of sexual abuse, including against the fallen R&B star R. Kelly.

It allows government attorneys to project a long view of criminal activity rather than prosecuting isolated sex crimes.

If convicted, the one-time rap producer and global superstar, who is often credited for his role in ushering hip-hop into the mainstream, could spend the rest of his life in prison.

Over the decades, Combs — who has gone by various stage names including Puff Daddy and P. Diddy — amassed enormous wealth for his work in music but also his ventures in the liquor industry.

He was arrested by federal agents in New York in September 2024 and denied bail multiple times.

Combs is being held at Brooklyn’s notorious Metropolitan Detention Center, a facility plagued by complaints of vermin and decay as well as violence.

High-profile inmates there have included Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell and Sam Bankman-Fried, the cryptocurrency entrepreneur convicted of fraud.

Combs has appeared in pre-trial hearings looking remarkably aged, his once jet-black, styled coif now overgrown and gray.

The jury selection start date is notably the first Monday in May — which annually marks New York’s Met Gala, a glittering celebrity charity bash where Combs was once a red carpet mainstay.

Just two years ago, he posed for the cameras at that event uptown — but on Monday, he will be downtown as the panel of citizens tasked with determining his fate face a barrage of questions from lawyers on both sides.

‘Freak-offs’

Core to the case is Combs’s relationship with his former girlfriend, the singer Casandra “Cassie” Ventura, who is expected to be a key trial witness.

A disturbing surveillance video from 2016, which was aired by CNN last year, shows Combs physically assaulting Ventura at a hotel.

Prosecutors say the encounter occurred following one of the “freak-offs” they argue were a feature of his pattern of abuse.

The so-called “freak-offs” were coercive, drug-fueled sexual marathons including sex workers that were sometimes filmed, according to the indictment.

READ ALSO: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs Faces More Charges Ahead Of Criminal Trial

It is unclear how much of the CNN video will be shown to jurors as evidence in court — the footage’s quality has been a sticking point between the opposing legal teams — but Judge Arun Subramanian has ruled that at least some of it will be admissible.

The floodgates opened after Ventura filed a civil suit alleging Combs subjected her to more than a decade of coercion by physical force and drugs as well as a 2018 rape.

That 2023 suit was quickly settled out of court, but a string of similarly lurid sexual assault claims against the Grammy winner from both women and men followed.

‘Perfect storm’

Industry watchers are monitoring Combs’s case as a potential inflection point in the music world which, beyond the case of Kelly, has largely evaded the #MeToo reckoning that has rocked Hollywood.

Caroline Heldman — co-founder of the Sound Off Coalition, which is focused on sexual violence in music — said Combs’s case is a flashpoint of a broader pattern of industry tolerance and cover-up of abuse.

“In the music industry, I think it’s the perfect storm of what celebrity does to people and what power does to people. It gives them an empathy deficit where the rules don’t apply to them,” she said.

When it comes to Combs’s case, she told AFP she’s “optimistic that justice will be served.”

“I hope that this inspires other survivors to come forward.”

It’s been a tumultuous few years for the Royal Family – illness, death, and rifts have all taken centre stage in discussions about them for a long time. The biggest of all has been the animosity between Prince Harry and the rest of his family – so we want to know, do you think Harry and the Royal Family will ever heal their rift?

Since announcing that they would ‘step back from Royal duties’ in 2020, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have made it very clear that a rift between them and the rest of the Royal Family – known as The Firm – has been ever-growing and ever-present.

After making this announcement, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex left the UK and have been making various attempts to create their own brand separate from the rest of the Royals.

Through various interviews, podcast, charitable projects, and most recently Meghan Markle’s lifestyle brand and Netflix show, Harry and Meghan have tried over and over again to make a name for themselves apart from the Royal family, while at times being criticised for still holding onto their royal titles despite stepping back.

The most recent part of the Harry-Firm rift saga involves Prince Harry’s ongoing court case about the security he expects while in the UK.

This court case involved Prince Harry attempting to reverse the decision to have security downgraded since he stepped back from being an ‘active’ royal. Harry has on many occasions expressed his safety concerns about his family, and has made it clear that this is the reason why he does not travel to the UK with his wife and two children on the occasions he does travel here.

Last week, the Prince was yet again not granted his request for armed police protection, which is given to his father King Charles and wife Queen Camilla, as well as to Prince William and Kate, Princess of Wales.

Not long after the Court of Appeal gave their judgment that Prince Harry would not be granted taxpayer-funded, armed police protection when visiting the UK, he gave a 30-minute interview with the BBC which reportedly angered many members of his family.

During this interview, Prince Harry described the judgment as ‘devastating’, and said that his father King Charles ‘refuses to speak with him’. He also added that he ‘doesn’t know how much longer’ the King has [to live].

He explained: “Of course, some members of my family will never forgive me for writing a book. Of course, they will never forgive me for lots of things. But you know, I would love reconciliation with my family. I’ve always, there’s no point in continuing to fight anymore.”

The Prince added that ‘it would be nice to reconcile’, because ‘life is precious’.

Meghan Markle showed her support for her husband by posting a family photo just a few hours after Prince Harry’s interview last Friday on her Instagram account. The black and white picture shows Prince Harry and his two children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, in the garden of their California home.

After the bombshell interview, Buckingham Palace responded, saying they had ‘repeatedly and meticulously’ examined issues with Prince Harry’s security arrangements.

They said: “All of these issues have been examined repeatedly and meticulously by the courts, with the same conclusion reached on each occasion.”

During the BBC interview, Prince Harry told the BBC that he hadn’t asked his father, King Charles, to intervene in the decision, saying he had instead asked him to “step out”.

As for other reactions to the interview, Royal sources have said that as well as the King, Prince William has ‘no incentive’ to speak to Harry, citing ‘a major trust issue’.

Singer Lily Allen turned 40 years old last week and celebrated her special day with her closest friends and family

Lily Allen made sure to thank her friends for helping her celebrate her birthday under ‘tricky circumstances’ following her split from David Harbour. The Smile singer, who turned 40 last week, split from the Stranger Things actor last year and entered a treatment centre earlier this year in order to process the breakdown of her marriage.

In March, Lily opened up about the split for the first time during a live recording of her podcast at the Hackney Empire in London, telling the crowd: “I am not over it. I am sort of running away. Maybe I will have a nervous breakdown.” Following their split, it was also claimed their relationship broke down due to him ” cheating” on the songstress with a costume designer he met on a film set.

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It was claimed that the relationship between David and the costume designer lasted three years, with him allegedly paying for her to fly out to Australia when he was filming Stranger Things. He was also reportedly spotted on a celebrity dating app during his marriage to Lily.

While working through a tough few months, Alfie singer Lily celebrated her milestone 40th birthday with her closest friends and family by her side.

The star enjoyed an intimate party in her backyard with her loved ones as they feasted on delicious food, a gorgeous birthday cake, endless drinks and more. In pictures shared online, the guests were seen sitting at dinner tables set up in a backyard.

Among the guests at her intimate party were fashion designers Kim Jones OBE and Katie Hillier, close pal and podcast co-host Miquita Oliver, Phoebe Oliver, Gracie Allen and chef Andi Oliver.

Following her party, Lily thanked her friends in a post shared on Instagram. Along with a picture of a cake, she said: “Thank you to all my beauty friends and family who showed up for me and made my birthday a special one under some tricky circumstances. Love you all.”

David recently talked about his personal life in a new chat. . The New York native revealed that recently, he had let himself go “physically and emotionally.”

It came just hours after he confirmed their split after ditching his wedding ring on the red carpet at the premiere for the Marvel movie, Thunderbolts.

David said: “I can go to these dark places.” He also found solace in Buddhist monks he first met when he went through a rough period in his thirties, and still goes to see them every couple of years. “You just talk about life,” he said of his time at the monastery in Escondido, California.

However, he hasn’t been to the monastery in the past few years as “things have been busy” for him. When prompted directly about his split from Lily, David gave a two-word response. “Oh boy,” he commented. But he later opened up about his reasoning for remaining silent.

“I’m protective of the people and the reality of my life,” he said. He added to GQ Magazine that he didn’t see the point in engaging with the interest surrounding the split as it had been based on “hysterical hyperbole.”

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King Charles and the rest of the Royal Family marked the 80th anniversary of VE Day with a spectacular flypast – and one expert believes it sent a subtle message to Prince Harry

King Charles and the rest of the Royal Family send a message to Prince Harry during their major balcony appearance at VE Day commemorations, according to an expert. Senior royals waved to thousands of people from the Buckingham Palace balcony as a Red Arrows flypast continued the commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.

The King and Queen, joined by the Prince and Princess of Wales and their children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, watched on with tilted heads as the VE Day flypast soared over. The commemorations come just days after Harry told the BBC his father will not speak to him and he does not know how much longer the King has left.

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However the King and Queen were said to be “looking forward” to the week’s events, and it is understood that, out of respect for the surviving veterans, Buckingham Palace hopes “nothing will detract or distract from celebrating with full cheer and proud hearts that precious victory and those brave souls, on this most special and poignant of anniversaries”.

And according to body language expert Judi James, the balcony appearance symbolised the royals’ resilience. She told the Mirror: “Royal balcony moments always show the Firm at their highest status best, standing in a position of ultimate power as a strong family unit while looking down on the massed crowds of their subjects, all cheering wildly to show their support.

So, the symbolism of this appearance could hardly have been more timely given the latest verbal pelting to have come from Montecito. This confident, stoic appearance suggested high levels of the kind of resilience that the Royal Family are always known for.”

Meanwhile, Judi also noted several subtle gestures that behind the scenes, the Firm is looking out for each other, especially when it comes to siblings. She noted: “During one moment on the balcony Princess Anne, who had been chatting to her brother in a strong display of unity during the fly-past, seemed to notice that Charles was waving to go indoors before the anthem had been played.

“Placing a hand out to pat him affectionately on the back, she seemed to warn him so he could turn and get into position. It was a gesture that suggested Anne is quietly keeping an eye on her brother.

“Another sibling who was surprisingly keep an eye on their brother at the other end of the balcony was, surprisingly, Louis. When the anthem was played, he stood to attention like his sister, but he suddenly turned to check out his older brother George behind him.

“George was caught with his hands still clasped in front of his body and, in a complete turn-around, it was the normally playful Louis who seemed to quickly correct him before turning back. George, 11, Charlotte, 10, and Louis, seven, were last seen together in public at the Christmas Day church service on the Sandringham Estate.

Louis, who during past public appearances has stolen the show, did not disappoint royal fans and was seen at one moment sticking out his tongue – a trademark gesture for the young royal. He also held William’s gold aiguillettes, the braided loops hanging from the shoulder of his RAF uniform, and appeared to touch his father’s shoulder again, and also held out his hands palms up as if he was testing for rain, which later fell.