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Inside Nicole Kidman’s Met Gala 2025 Hair Transformation
Don't worry, darling: Olivia Wilde is ready to hit the Met steps.
Hours before the 2026 Met Gala in New York City May 4, the Booksmart director shared a glimpse into her very relatable preparations for fashion's biggest night.
Snapping a shot of herself on the subway in a blue baseball cap, a gray hoodie and a blue coat, she wrote, "Mentally preparing for the Met by practicing not ever sitting down or having to pee.”
Along with her hilarious game plan, the mom to Otis, 12, and Daisy, 9, with ex Jason Sudeikis—teased her glam for the annual gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the dress code being "Fashion Is Art."
Showing off her nude, newly manicured nails in another Instagram Story, Olivia jokingly added, "Really have to stop taking such bold risks with my nail color."
As for what celebs are keeping in mind for their evening's looks? The Costume Institute's curator Andrew Bolton said in a statement that "the dressed body is front and center in every gallery you come across. Even the nude is never naked. It's always inscribed with cultural values and ideas."
The 42-year-old's attendance comes three years after she last graced the famed Met steps for the 2023 gala.
Back then, for the Karl Lagerfeld-theme event, Olivia arrived in a gown inspired by a Chloé design, featuring a golden violin that connected the top and skirt.
Olivia Wilde/Instagram
"Karl was a designer at Chloé for 25 years and this is one of the pieces he designed in 1983," she said to Extra TV at the time. "It's been reimagined for me. The original is in the exhibition."
With its minimal structure and sleek form-fitting bodice, Olivia was comfortable for the hours of partying ahead, teasing, "I'm cruising. This is the easiest time I've had on these steps."
While Olivia and more celebs—like co-chairs Beyoncé, Venus Williams, Nicole Kidman and Anna Wintour—prepare for the 2026 Met Gala, take a look back at some of the most unforgettable moments from fashion's biggest night.
Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Kim Kardashian Arriving (Literally) Unrecognizable
For her red-carpet entrance at the 2021 Met Gala, Kim Kardashian had the world buzzing with her shocking faceless all-black look: a custom ensemble designed by Demna Gvasalia, creative director of Balenciaga. And if you're wondering how Kim was able to see through the material of her outfit, turns out, she couldn't!
"The whole evening of the Met Ball, Kim couldn't see, and she couldn't breathe," mom Kris Jenner revealed during a November 2021 interview. "So, my boyfriend Corey [Gamble] was walking around—we were all together and he was leading her to where we were supposed to go and helping with her ponytail. It was suddenly—he was somebody pulling her around, and a hairstylist all at the same time."
John Shearer/WireImage
Three Times the Looks
Lil Nas X gives us what's he got until he can't anymore. The singer changed twice during his entrance for the 2021 Met Gala. One of his looks, which included a Versace suit made of gold armor, has still left stars in our eyes.
Arturo Holmes/MG21/Getty Images
The Couple That Slay Together...
Rihanna makes the list time and time again for her groundbreaking fashions, but Rihanna Navy went into a frenzy when the star walked the red carpet of the 2021 Met Gala with boyfriend A$AP Rocky. It was fate for the two to arrive as one of the last couples of the evening, since they practically shut down the carpet with their adorable entrance.
Richard Corkery/NY Daily News via Getty Images
London Calling
Princess Diana attended her first and only Met Gala in 1996, a year before her shocking death. Her lingerie-inspired gown was controversial among those who felt she should have worn something more conservative (which she almost did, concerned she might embarrass her teenage son, Prince William), but the navy satin slip dress—designed by John Galliano for Dior—was an instantly iconic look.
Through 2024, the Princess of Wales and Princess Beatrice are the only members of Britain's royal family who have attended the Met Gala, though it's hard to imagine Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not making their own grand entrance one of these days.
Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images; Rob Latour/REX/Shutterstock; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Rih-Diculous
We'll keep this short and sweet: Each and every time Rihanna ascends the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a moment in Met Gala history is made. We bow down over and over again.
Splash News
Elevator Showdown
The 2014 Met Gala went down in infamy thanks to a certain elevator ride starring Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Solange Knowles. Leaked surveillance footage showed the rapper being physically accosted by Bey's little sister in the lift at NYC's Standard Hotel while his wife made no move to intervene, prompting the notoriously private trio to release a rare public statement reassuring anyone who was interested (a.k.a., everybody) that they remained a "united family."
Though we'll probably never know exactly what caused the altercation, Beyoncé's remix of "Flawless" alluded to it when she rapped, "Of course sometimes s--t goes down when there's a billion dollars on an elevator."
Larry Busacca/Getty Images; David Fisher/Shutterstock
Hiddleswift Busts a Move
Swifties can trace Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston's romance back to the 2016 Met Gala, where they had a full-on dance party. Less than a month later, the singer and Calvin Harris would go their separate ways and she'd enjoy a whirlwind summer romance with the British actor.
Jamie McCarthy/FilmMagic
Queen of His Heart
George Clooney and Amal Clooney made their Met Gala debut as husband and wife in 2015, and Amal would return as a co-chair of the event in 2018.
Larry Busacca/ Gettyimages
When Life Gives You Lemons
Just one week after Beyoncé dropped Lemonade, which shed new light on her and Jay-Z's marital turmoil, the performer showed up to the 2016 soiree without her usual plus-one. (Cue mass hysteria from the Beyhive.) She did have the support of Solange that evening, who coincidentally was dressed in lemon yellow.
Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Kim's North Star
The Kardashians star won't soon forget her very first Met Gala in 2013, where the expectant reality-TV superstar arrived alongside Kanye West in an eye-popping floral print by Givenchy. Daughter North West was born a month later—and two years later, Kim poked fun at herself by wearing the same floral design for Halloween. "Still fits...," she captioned the moment on social media.
Lawrence Lucier/FilmMagic
Mad for Plaid
Sarah Jessica Parker and the late Alexander McQueen punked out in matching tartan at the Met Gala in 2006 to celebrate "AngloMania: Tradition and Transgression in British Fashion."
Michael Buckner/WWD/REX/Shutterstock
Three's a Crowd
They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but this one of Jeremy Scott sandwiched between his 2016 Met Gala dates Nicki Minaj and Demi Lovato is rather priceless. After the former Disney star accused the rapper of throwing "shade" on Instagram, she further alluded to the awkward event (without naming names) in an interview with Billboard in which she opened up about her less-than-dreamy night two years prior.
"I had a terrible experience," she recalled in 2018. "This one celebrity was a complete bitch and was miserable to be around. It was very cliquey."
Rule Breakers
What happens inside the Met Gala stays in the Met Gala, or at least that was Anna Wintour's goal when she banned selfies in 2015. What is this, the Oscars?!
But two years later, Kylie Jenner's crew gathered in the bathroom to take this sneaky snapshot. The result? A Kodak moment that will stand the test of time (and probably didn't involve Kodak).
Kevin Mazur/MG18/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue
A Heavenly Surprise
In 2018, Madonna appeared atop the stairs of the Great Hall with an unforgettable production of "Like a Prayer." The performance, which also featured the pop icon's rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah," fit right in with the event's theme that year, "Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination." Stairway to heaven, indeed.
Rob Latour/Shutterstock; John Shearer/Getty Images
Thank You, Next
Dressed in the revenge catsuit to end all revenge catsuits, Bella Hadid expertly navigated what could have been quite the awkward interaction with ex-boyfriend The Weeknd and his date for the 2017 Met Gala, Selena Gomez. An insider told E! News that the supermodel kept her distance from the couple throughout the evening, but Bella and the "Blinding Lights" singer ended up reconciling a year later. Then broke up again.
Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Jaden's New 'Do
Jaden Smith redefined fearless fashion when he brought his freshly chopped dreadlocks with him to the Met Gala in 2017. The accessory not only made headlines, but also started somewhat of a tradition for the envelope-pushing artist. In 2018, the gold certification plaque for his song "Icon" was his Met Gala date.
Marion Curtis/Starpix/SplashNews; Instagram
Belle of the Ball
Claire Danes arrived at the 2016 Met Gala in a light blue ball gown fit for a tech-savvy Disney princess. It turned out that the Homeland star's Zac Posen confection featured thousands of hand-sewn L.E.D. lights that illuminated the dance floor.
Getty Images
The Real Transformer
Lady Gaga schooled all comers in the art of "Camp: Notes on Fashion," the theme of 2019's Met Gala, when she arrived in a voluminous pink Brandon Maxwell ballgown that was only the beginning. Several nesting-doll looks later, she was down to her luxe skivvies and the crowd was on its knees.
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