Best Met Gala Behind-The-Scenes Photos You've Never Seen

The Met Gala is always one of the most high-profile red carpets of the year. Each year, on the first Monday in May, we await the stunning photos of stars on the Met steps showing off extravagant, daring, and occasionally controversial looks. But unlike other red carpets before award shows and ceremonies, we don’t get to know too much about what goes on inside the Met Gala!

The event is not televised, there are limited cameras, and stars even have to adhere to some strict rules about what they can and can’t do on social media (although, some celebrities are known to break these rules!) So, inside the Met is something of a mystery.

We have, however, gotten some iconic candid photos through the years that give us a small glimpse into the very exclusive party. From conversations between exes to A-list stars hitting the dancefloor, these candid moments prove why the Met Gala is the hottest ticket in town.

Here are the best candid photos inside the Met Gala.

 

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Lizzo & Gigi Hadid (2023)

Lizzo & Gigi Hadid (2023)
Lizzo & Gigi Hadid (2023)

Gigi Hadid got in on the action during Lizzo’s performance at the 2023 Met Gala which celebrated “Karl Lagerfeld: A Line Of Beauty.”

Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen (2017)

Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen (2017)
Tom Brady & Gisele Bündchen (2017)

It’s a sign of a good party when a professional runway model is leaving the event barefoot! Gisele Bündchen ditched her heels as she walked out of the 2017 Met Gala hand-in-hand with then-husband Tom Brady.

Kate Hudson & Liv Tyler (2009)

Kate Hudson & Liv Tyler (2009)
Kate Hudson & Liv Tyler (2009)

These two California natives went to High School together in Santa Monica and so we would love to know what kind of gossip their catchup at the 2009 Met Gala consisted of!

Anna Wintour (1998)

Anna Wintour (1998)
Anna Wintour (1998)

Anna Wintour, the reigning queen of the Met Gala, made a chic entrance at the 1998 Met Gala where the theme was “Cubism and Fashion.”

Cher (1985)

Cher (1985)
Cher (1985)

In this behind-the-scenes moment, the always daring Cher was seen chatting with designer Bob Mackie at the 1985 Met Gala.

Usher, Pete Davidson, & Kim Kardashian (2023)

Usher, Pete Davidson, & Kim Kardashian (2023)
Usher, Pete Davidson, & Kim Kardashian (2023)

The 2022 Met Gala was one of Kim Kardashian and Pete Davidson’s first red carpet appearances together, with Kim famously wearing Marilyn Monroe’s gown. So, 2023 could have been an awkward run-in for the exes who split months earlier but they proved things were civil post-breakup… if only Usher what spill the beans on what was said during this conversation!

Bradley Cooper & Irina Shayk (2023)

Bradley Cooper & Irina Shayk (2023)
Bradley Cooper & Irina Shayk (2023)

In another 2023 run-in, exes Irina Shayk and Bradley Cooper were seen chatting up a storm. The duo split in 2019 after four years together and happily co-parent daughter Lea de Seine.

Sarah Jessica Parker (2014)

Sarah Jessica Parker (2014)
Sarah Jessica Parker (2014)

Sarah Jessica Parker took some time to relax in her Oscar de la Renta gown at the 2014 Met Gala.

Brooke Shields (1983)

Brooke Shields (1983)
Brooke Shields (1983)

Brooke Shields was just 18 years old in this 1983 Met Gala appearance!

Hailey Bieber & Bella Hadid (2022)

Hailey Bieber & Bella Hadid (2022)
Hailey Bieber & Bella Hadid (2022)

Longtime friends Hailey Bieber and Bella Hadid had plenty to chat about inside the 2022 Met Gala while cameras looked on.

Christy & Dwain Turlington (1992)

Christy & Dwain Turlington (1992)
Christy & Dwain Turlington (1992)

In this adorable father-daughter moment, model Christy Turlington danced with her dad inside the 1992 Met Gala.

Goldie Hawn (1995)

Goldie Hawn (1995)
Goldie Hawn (1995)

We can’t get over just how much Goldie Hawn looks like her daughter, Kate Hudson, in this candid 1995 moment.

Iman & David Bowie (2003)

Iman & David Bowie (2003)
Iman & David Bowie (2003)

Iman and David Bowie proved why they will always be one of the most fashionable celebrity couples in history with this 2003 appearance.

Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively (2022)

Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively (2022)
Ryan Reynolds & Blake Lively (2022)

Speaking of power couples, cameras caught Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds walking hand-in-hand into the 2022 Met Gala where they were acting as co-chairs for the evening.

Kendall Jenner & ASAP Rocky (2017)

Kendall Jenner & ASAP Rocky (2017)
Kendall Jenner & ASAP Rocky (2017)

Kendall Jenner and ASAP Rocky subtly confirmed their short-lived romance when they were seen getting cozy inside the 2017 Met Gala after walking the red carpet separately.

Natasha Richardson & Liam Neeson (2005)

Natasha Richardson & Liam Neeson (2005)
Natasha Richardson & Liam Neeson (2005)

In 2005, Natasha Richardson and Liam Neeson looked happily in love while joining in on that year’s theme, “The House of Chanel.”

Kerry Washington, Vanessa Hudgens, Simone Ashley, & Ariana DeBose (2022)

Kerry Washington, Vanessa Hudgens, Simone Ashley, & Ariana DeBose (2022)
Kerry Washington, Vanessa Hudgens, Simone Ashley, & Ariana DeBose (2022)

Kerry Washington, Vanessa Hudgens, Simone Ashley and Ariana DeBose proved that the Met Gala is definitely the party of the year when they were photographed dancing together.

Maggie Gyllenhaal & Julia Roberts (2008)

Maggie Gyllenhaal & Julia Roberts (2008)
Maggie Gyllenhaal & Julia Roberts (2008)

What an iconic duo! Maggie Gyllenhaal and Julia Roberts posed for photos inside the 2008 Met Gala.

Joan Smalls, Lily Aldridge, Zoe Kravitz, Alexander Wang, Bella Hadid & Behati Prinsloo (2017)

Joan Smalls, Lily Aldridge, Zoe Kravitz, Alexander Wang, Bella Hadid & Behati Prinsloo (2017)
Joan Smalls, Lily Aldridge, Zoe Kravitz, Alexander Wang, Bella Hadid & Behati Prinsloo (2017)

In an iconic photo moment, Joan Smalls, Lily Aldridge, Zoe Kravitz, Alexander Wang, Bella Hadid and Behati Prinsloo hung out on the Met steps as the 2017 gala was winding down.

Princess Diana (1996)

Princess Diana (1996)
Princess Diana (1996)

Princess Diana one and only 1996 Met Gala appearance has gone down in fashion history.

Rihanna & Gwyneth Paltrow (2012)

Rihanna & Gwyneth Paltrow (2012)
Rihanna & Gwyneth Paltrow (2012)

In another unlikely crossover, Rihanna and Gwyneth Paltrow were seen chatting inside the 2012 Met Gala.

Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian West, Kanye West & Alex Rodriguez (2019)

Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian West, Kanye West & Alex Rodriguez (2019)
Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian West, Kanye West & Alex Rodriguez (2019)

Alex Rodriguez broke the Met Gala’s no-selfies rule to snap a pic with then-partner Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian and her then-husband Kanye West.

Victoria Beckham & Naomi Campbell (2003)

Victoria Beckham & Naomi Campbell (2003)
Victoria Beckham & Naomi Campbell (2003)

It was a British takeover in 2003 when Victoria Beckham and Naomi Campbell partied together at the Met Gala.

Willem Dafoe (1998)

Willem Dafoe (1998)
Willem Dafoe (1998)

Willem Dafoe made a Met Gala appearance in 1998, at the height of his heartthrob status.