The Best Met Gala Memes of All Time

The Met Gala has long been recognized for producing the most talked-about designer moments and celebrity shenanigans of the year. These days, however, fashion’s most important red carpet is also fertile ground for the ultimate irreverent internet compliment: memeification.

For the past few first Mondays in May, just as stylists have created looks for their famous clientele, the creative geniuses of X and Instagram have taken to Photoshop during red carpet arrivals to hilariously (and affectionately!) roast the night’s most eye-widening creations. There are dozens of memes to choose from, but only a few are as clever as they are celebratory—the perfect balance of love and snark. Check out our very favorites below:

Sabrina Carpenter and a top-hat-wearing Barry Keoghan were the couple of the night

There’s official, and then there’s “Met Gala official,” as the “Espresso” singer and Saltburn actor proved when they stepped out together on the Pre-Raphaelite green carpet at the 2024 Met Gala. Maybe Keoghan should always wear a top hat?

Jeremy Strong’s single dangly earring made an impression

Do I just miss Succession too much, or is showing up at the 2024 Met Gala wearing a single long, dangly earring kind of a Kendall Roy move? Either way, I appreciate Strong’s commitment to the finer points of accessorizing.

Andrew Scott, Donatella Versace, and Jude Law walked the red carpet together (hello, Challengers)

Any three-person configuration runs the risk of being turned into a Challengers meme in 2024, and this particular trio walked right into it.

Tyla got a Met-steps assist from a whopping four men

I can’t think of a more iconic way to ring in your first Met Gala than recruiting four—count ’em, four—men to help lift your very constricting Balmain sand dress up the Met steps, and of course, that’s exactly what “Water” singer Tyla did. Hats off and skirts up!

Lana Del Rey’s custom Alexander McQueen veil was spookily perfect meme material

I mean, the Yellowjackets references write themselves!

Rihanna (and her eyelash sunglasses) shut down the red carpet

Rihanna is the definition of a star worth waiting for, and when she made her entrance at the 2023 Met Gala with partner A$AP Rocky by her side, eagle-eyed viewers delighted in the details of her playful, eyelash-affixed sunglasses.

Choupette was the fabulous feline of the moment

What better way to pay tribute to Karl Lagerfeld, the honoree of the 2023 Met Gala, than by dressing up as his beloved cat Choupette? That’s what Doja Cat and Jared Leto did, and of course, the internet had plenty to say about it.

An uninvited insect walked the carpet

You might be surprised that a cockroach dared to brave the 2023 Met Gala red carpet, but hey, that’s New York City for you, am I right?

Olivia Wilde and Margaret Zhang wore similar dresses, and good-natured comedy ensued

The Don’t Worry Darling director and Vogue China EIC each showed up in interpretations of Chloé’s famous “guitar dress,” and the temptation to meme-ify the similarity simply proved too great.

When the full Kardashian-Jenner clan hit the carpet together…

From Kim’s Marilyn dress to Kylie’s bridal tribute to late Virgil Abloh, the Kardashian-Jenners made the most of their first time attending the Met Gala en famille in 2022, and the memes spoke for themselves.

Who can forget Lady Gaga’s “Notes on Camp” entrance?

2019 was a pretty stupendous year for Met Gala memes, but Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (a.k.a. Lady Gaga) took things to a whole new level in a hot-pink Brandon Maxwell number with three looks layered underneath it. We all learned a powerful lesson that night: Never underestimate Gaga when it comes to camp.

Billy Porter being carried in on a litter was everything

The Pose star doesn’t do anything halfway, and that extended to his 2019 Met Gala entrance, for which he wore a custom “Sun God” ensemble by The Blonds that included a bejeweled catsuit outfitted with 10-foot wings and a 24-karat gold headpiece and was carried in on a litter by six shirtless men. And just like that, a million memes were born:

Remember Priyanka Chopra’s Ralph Lauren trench dress?

The best memes are the ones that even their own subjects can’t resist. Such was the case for Priyanka Chopra, who seemed genuinely entertained by the Internet’s take on her custom Ralph Lauren trench in 2017.

While Chopra and Lauren were inspired by Katharine Hepburn–era elegance, the meme-makers saw the train of her oversize trench as fertile grounds for all kinds of khaki-toned joke images— including the pyramids—which Chopra thought was funny enough to eventually ’gram herself.

Rihanna’s gold Guo Pei gown was a cultural reset

It’s fitting that our gold meme medal goes to Rihanna’s 2015 gold Guo Pei gown and its yellow, fur-lined cape with a 16-foot train. The extra-long dress turned out to be the most fruitful look ever in meme-terms, inspiring some very funny Internet reactions.

We’ll never forget Guo Pei’s incredible work, and we’ll never forget Rihanna looking like a gorgeous omelet either—the measure of a perfect meme.

See All the Celebrity Looks From the Met Gala 2024 Red Carpet:

Met Gala 2024: See Every Celebrity Arrival, Read the Latest Stories, and Get Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Here