Venus: Beyoncé Returns to the 2026 Met Gala After 10 Years
venus was back at the Met Gala on Monday, and Beyoncé was the reason the return carried weight. She attended the 2026 event in New York City after a 10-year hiatus, a comeback tied to her cochair responsibilities.
Beyoncé at New York City
The 2026 Met Gala used the dress code “Fashion Is Art.” Beyoncé’s attendance fit the event’s biggest stage and ended a stretch that had kept her away for a decade.
That absence matters because the Met Gala draws on presence as much as wardrobe, and her return placed one of the night’s most recognizable names back on the red carpet. Rihanna closed out the red carpet later in the evening.
Carpenter, Carter, and debutants
The guest list also mixed returning names with first-timers. Sabrina Carpenter sang “Landslide” with Stevie Nicks at the event and also performed several of her own big hits, while Blue Ivy Carter and Sunday Rose Kidman Urban attended alongside Finn Wolfhard.
First appearances came from Connor Storrie, Hudson Williams, Ejae, and Devyn Garcia. Ejae wore a silver Swarovski gown, and Garcia wore a Michael Kors dress that mimicked her own form.
More of the night’s looks pushed the same idea in different directions. A$ Rocky wore a custom Chanel look with a longline baby-pink jacket and wide lapels, Bad Bunny appeared in a custom Zara tuxedo as an elderly version of himself, and Colman Domingo wore a colorful custom Valentino two-piece.
Luke Evans chose an all-leather custom oxblood ensemble by Palomo Spain, Simone Ashley wore a silver chain look, Irina Shayk leaned into the naked dress trend with a very small bra, Gigi Hadid wore a custom Miu Miu dress, and Kylie Jenner stepped out in a nude corset complete with nipples and a belly button.
Beyoncé’s return gave the 2026 Met Gala one of its clearest storylines: a cochair back after 10 years away, arriving in a room already built around celebrity arrivals and fashion statements. For a night organized around “Fashion Is Art,” her attendance became part of the event’s main draw rather than just another name on the carpet.
