{"id":774549,"date":"2026-05-05T09:10:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T09:10:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/774549\/"},"modified":"2026-05-05T09:10:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T09:10:21","slug":"inside-the-met-gala-an-olympic-star-discovers-how-famous-she-is","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/774549\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside the Met Gala: An Olympic star discovers how famous she is"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Alysa Liu surveyed the glittery crowd arrayed in front of her, sipping cocktails and chatting. It was her first Met Gala,<\/a> and she hesitated for a second, searching for a word to describe it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s \u2026 BIG,\u201d the Olympic skater finally said with a grin. <\/p>\n

But what Liu, dressed in a blood-red custom Louis Vuitton gown with a full skirt and huge ruffles, couldn\u2019t quite get was how big SHE had become. Even at a party full of very, very famous people, everyone wanted to greet her.<\/p>\n

Some Met Gala guests have been famous for many years. Others have achieved fame with dizzying speed. For Liu, all it took was a gold-medal performance that charmed<\/a> the whole world.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverybody recognizes me!\u201d she said, with genuine surprise, of the crowd packed into the airy Charles Engelhard Court at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. \u201cIt\u2019s crazy. Imagine that overnight, suddenly everyone knows who you are!\u201d<\/p>\n

And then America\u2019s skating sweetheart was off, soon to be spotted laughing with Connor Storrie of \u201cHeated Rivalry,\u201d<\/a> another star of the night who also arrived from an ice rink. <\/p>\n

Some more scenes from inside the Met Gala:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Zendaya<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Beyonce<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Under a full moon, the strains of harp music<\/p>\n

After guests made their way up the carpeted steps to the museum, they entered into the Great Hall, which had been transformed into \u201ca Northern Italian garden,\u201d in the museum\u2019s words. There was a huge moon hanging and swaying from the ceiling, and below it a floral centerpiece surrounded by cypress branches.<\/p>\n

A half dozen harpists serenaded the guests, who waited to shake the hands of the gala co-chairs \u2014 Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams, Vogue\u2019s Anna Wintour, and honorary chair Lauren S\u00e1nchez Bezos \u2014 but not, for now, the late-arriving Beyonc\u00e9.<\/p>\n

The receiving line was a long wait, reported Sarah Paulson.<\/p>\n

\u201cI waited 45 minutes,\u201d the actor said, explaining why she hadn\u2019t made it yet to the Conde M. Nast Galleries to see the fashion exhibit, \u201cCostume Art,\u201d<\/a> which examines the dressed body through centuries of art history. Her feet hurt. \u201cYou could cut my legs off at the ankle,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Lobster crostini and tomato-mozzarella pillows<\/p>\n

As the Engelhard court gradually filled, guests milled about snacking on lobster crostini or tomato and mozzarella \u201cpillows.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zo\u00eb Kravitz, who headed the host committee, greeted Storrie \u2014 did we mention he was a top attraction? \u2014 and complimented him on his work. Bradley Cooper and Gigi Hadid sat quietly chatting on the sidelines, hand in hand.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Connor<\/p>\n

Connor Storrie. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

Connor Storrie. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Near them, Hugh Jackman and Sutton Foster did the same. Jackman stood up when skier Lindsey Vonn<\/a> came by, giving her a hug. Vonn, who suffered a traumatic leg injury at the Winter Olympics, used only a cane and sparkled in a Thom Browne gown.<\/p>\n

Billionaires, he\u2019s seen \u2018em before<\/p>\n

Ever since Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and wife Lauren S\u00e1nchez Bezos had been announced as honorary chairs, there had been anti-billionaire backlash in liberal New York City. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he would not come. A group called Everyone Hates Elon \u2014 a reference to Musk \u2014 had plastered posters at bus stops, like one on the East Side saying \u201cDress code: Willful ignorance,\u201d and on subways.<\/p>\n

The Rev. Al Sharpton, though, had a different take. He\u2019d attended a few Met Galas, and said billionaires were nothing new.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have always been billionaires here,\u201d Sharpton said. \u201cI may not agree with everything Bezos does, but do I abandon Beyonc\u00e9 and Venus Williams?\u201d He also praised Wintour for paying attention to diversity. \u201cI opted to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the gala \u201cbrings a cultured meeting space\u201d for people who haven\u2019t yet met.<\/p>\n

A date night for Jon Batiste<\/p>\n

At previous galas, Jon Batiste has performed,<\/a> sometimes leading a musical band with his melodica to get crowds to head to dinner. This time around, he had no gala responsibilities \u2014 and he was happy.<\/p>\n

After all, he said, \u201cit\u2019s date night\u201d with his wife, Suleika Jaouad. \u201cA night in the museum,\u201d he quipped. The couple were dinner guests of Wintour herself.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Jon<\/p>\n

Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

Jon Batiste and Suleika Jaouad. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Batiste wore a look by Eli Russell Linnetz that he said echoed the work of late Black portraitist Barkley L. Hendricks<\/a> \u2014 a long white coat and white ensemble underneath. Hendricks often juxtaposed Black skin with white clothes, Batiste noted. Jaouad wore a sumptuous Christian Siriano gown.<\/p>\n

Progress in the fight for diversity<\/p>\n

Sin\u00e9ad Burke, the Irish disability activist, said that when she was first approached to be on the host committee, \u201cI said no.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unless, she says she told organizers, they made the gala fully accessible.<\/p>\n

They did, Burke says, arranging for a step-free entrance for guests who need it, south of the main entrance.<\/p>\n

Burke ended up working closely with the museum for 18 months before the gala. She made sure there was room for disabled press to cover the gala carpet. She and her organization, Tilting the Lens, also helped train guides who will assist the public when they view \u201cCostume Art,\u201d which has a large section on the disabled body.<\/p>\n

And Burke herself, who was born with dwarfism, agreed to pose for a custom mannequin;<\/a> two outfits are displayed on mannequins created in her image.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of the small moments,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

But a step backward, elsewhere<\/p>\n

Model Lauren Wasser, also on the host committee, attended in a custom Prabal Gurung ensemble all in gold, including her trademark gold prosthetic legs.<\/p>\n

She said she was glad the museum was shining a light on diversity in body types. But she cautioned that in the outside world, things are looking bleaker. (Research has found that designers are starting to turn away from using plus-size models, for example.)<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to see it in real life, too,\u201d Wasser said of such diversity. \u201cWe had a moment. But we\u2019ve taken a step back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wearing silver, feeling golden<\/p>\n

The songwriter who won an Oscar for \u201cGolden\u201d<\/a> from \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d was wearing, well, silver. But she said she was feeling golden.<\/p>\n

In fact, EJAE, part of the team that won best original song for the impossibly catchy tune, said she was trying to channel a specific lyric with her gown, a Swarovski number dripping with crystals.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m done hidin\u2019, now I\u2019m shinin\u2019 like I\u2019m born to be,\u201d the song goes. <\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to literally be shining,\u201d EJAE said. Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n

Sarah Paulson has the Met\u2019s secrets \u2014 remember?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Sarah<\/p>\n

Sarah Paulson. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

Sarah Paulson. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

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This wasn\u2019t the first rodeo for Paulson. In fact in was her sixth Met Gala, she said.<\/p>\n

But Paulson has more after-hours experience at the Met. She shot the movie \u201cOcean\u2019s 8\u201d there, a film about a heist during \u2026 the Met Gala.<\/p>\n

\u201cI spent a lot of time here \u2014 I know the secrets,\u201d Paulson said. \u201cThey should watch out!\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked if six Met Galas got a little tiresome, Paulson said they did not.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t really believe the people here and the oxygen you\u2019re sharing,\u201d the actor said. \u201cPeople from all the great talents of the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A$AP<\/p>\n

\n A$AP Rocky and Rihanna arrive at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)\n <\/p>\n

A$AP Rocky and Rihanna arrive at The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute benefit gala. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

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\"Heidi<\/p>\n

\n Heidi Klum at the Met Gala. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)\n <\/p>\n

Heidi Klum at the Met Gala. (Photo by Evan Agostini\/Invision\/AP)<\/p>\n

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Rihanna and A$AP Rocky are Heidi Klum fans<\/p>\n

Dinner was under way. Beyonc\u00e9 had arrived, with Jay-Z and Blue Ivy.<\/p>\n

But the assembled media on the carpet and various staffers in the museum lobby weren\u2019t breaking for the night. There was one more big arrival to come. Yes, Rihanna.<\/p>\n

When she and partner A$AP Rocky arrived in the Great Hall, they stopped for photos quickly and then headed toward the Temple of Dendur for dinner. But then they ran into Heidi Klum, who knows her way around a costume, virtually unrecognizable as a marble statue. <\/p>\n

The couple spent 10 minutes or so laughing with Klum and complimenting her.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is the coolest outfit tonight, ain\u2019t gonna lie,\u201d A$AP Rocky noted.<\/p>\n

\u201cOh my god, I can\u2019t stand you!\u201d Rihanna said admiringly.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow much did they pay you to just stand here for the rest of the night?\u201d the singer asked the statue. They all laughed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Alysa Liu surveyed the glittery crowd arrayed in front of her, sipping cocktails and…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":774550,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[21072,250181,6229,16532,28518,43583,435,69750,191740,168,317410,171,57,11870,4002,12165,59,8381,4061,127955,4062,317409,1165,114599,10569,50558,1046,317411,45756,45202,62,69066,250328,61,67,132,68,5301],"class_list":{"0":"post-774549","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-al-sharpton","9":"tag-alysa-liu","10":"tag-amazon-com","11":"tag-anna-wintour","12":"tag-blue-ivy-carter","13":"tag-bradley-cooper","14":"tag-celebrity","15":"tag-christian-siriano","16":"tag-connor-storrie","17":"tag-domestic-news","18":"tag-eli-russell-linnetz","19":"tag-entertainment","20":"tag-general-news","21":"tag-gigi-hadid","22":"tag-heidi-klum","23":"tag-hugh-jackman","24":"tag-inc","25":"tag-jay-z","26":"tag-jeff-bezos","27":"tag-jon-batiste","28":"tag-lauren-sanchez","29":"tag-lauren-wasser","30":"tag-lifestyle","31":"tag-lindsey-vonn","32":"tag-met-gala","33":"tag-metropolitan-museum-of-art","34":"tag-nicole-kidman","35":"tag-prabal-gurung","36":"tag-rihanna","37":"tag-sarah-paulson","38":"tag-sports","39":"tag-sutton-foster","40":"tag-thom-browne","41":"tag-u-s-news","42":"tag-united-states","43":"tag-unitedstates","44":"tag-us","45":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=774549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/774549\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/774550"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=774549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=774549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=774549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}