Every first Monday of May, the Met Gala takes over New York with over-the-top fashion, celebrity fanfare, and a whole lot of internet chaos. But beyond the couture and cameras, there’s a running theory that has captured social media’s imagination: a curse. More specifically, a curse that dooms any couple who dares to walk the Met Gala red carpet together—and this year, some online users are already rooting for it to strike certain A-list relationships.
Technically, the Met Gala is a fundraiser for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, supporting the preservation of fashion history since its inception in 1948. But internet lore has turned it into something else entirely: a relationship graveyard.
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The Met Gala Couple Curse, Explained
Let’s put the fundraising aside for a moment and talk about the “curse” that supposedly haunts couples who attend the Met Gala. There’s no official timeline or scientific method, just vibes—and a pretty compelling list of breakups to back it up.
Take Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth, for instance. They attended together in 2019 and split later that same year. Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello made their Met Gala debut in 2021; their two-year relationship ended shortly after, despite some rumored reconnection in 2023 that fizzled out just as quickly.
Cole Sprouse and Lili Reinhart? They attended in 2019, but by May 2020, they were done. Fun fact: they even went two years in a row. Zayn Malik and Gigi Hadid made their Met Gala appearance in 2016. While they technically stayed together until 2021, the relationship was rocky, marked by multiple breakups and makeups along the way.
And then there’s The Weeknd. In 2016, he showed up with Bella Hadid—and they broke up later that year. The next year, he walked the carpet with Selena Gomez, and not long after, that ended too.
Taylor Swift and Tom Hiddleston? Their Met Gala appearance in 2016 practically introduced their relationship to the world, but by that summer, they were done. No fall fashion campaign could save them.
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The most recent victims? Sabrina Carpenter and Barry Keoghan. They attended the 2024 gala together and ended their year-long relationship not long after.
So, no pressure or anything, but social media already has predictions lined up: Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner, Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, and Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater—the internet is watching. And if they show up together at the Met Gala this year? Well, the curse may just claim a few more.
This article was originally written in Spanish by Fernando Eslava in Cultura Colectiva.
