Met Gala 2026 Memes Have Taken Over the Internet. These Are the Best Ones.

The celebrities who show up (and show out) at the Met Gala 2026 are essential to the success of the highly anticipated annual charity event, but the internet is the true star of fashion’s biggest night. Because while the actors, singers, models, and influencers walk the red carpet in daring, exquisite, and intricate on-theme looks, it’s the typical civilians who post memes, jokes, and TikToks from the comfort of their own couches and really steal the show each year.

The Met Gala happens every first Monday of May, and this year’s theme, “Fashion Is Art,” comes from the “Costume Art” spring exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute. The exhibit explores the relationship between clothing and the human form throughout time, with art spanning 5,000 years, so attendees of the exclusive event were directed to treat the body as the canvas and clothing as a work of art.

Most of them usually understand the assignment for the theme, but others veer wildly off course, or just don’t take enough risks with their look. Thankfully, that’s where the internet goes to play. Because nothing says “high fashion” more than judging gorgeous, glamorous people while wearing your comfiest sweatpants, right?

Keep scrolling to laugh out loud at our round-up of the best jokes, memes, and TikToks from the 2026 Met Gala.

Jason Derulo continues to take a tumble

Ever since Jason Deruloooo (you are legally required to sing his name out loud whenever you read it) decided to do a backflip on the red carpet in 2015, the internet ran—or, we guess, fell?—with the ongoing joke that he fell instead. He didn’t, but that doesn’t matter. And though it’s been more than a decade, the meme is still going strong.

The timing of The Devil Wears Prada 2 release … That’s all.

Whoever decided to schedule the premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2 the weekend before the Met Gala deserves all the awards. It’s just too perfect that Meryl Streep’s spot-on, satiric send-up of Vogue legend Anna Wintour—who still serves as lead chairperson of the annual fundraiser— returned onscreen just days before the event, because the people of the internet were ready with a lot of inspired jokes.

Heated Rivalry anticipation heats up the carpet

The rumors of Heated Rivalry’s overnight-success stars Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie attending this year’s Met Gala set the internet on fire for days leading up to the event. Add the speculation that Williams might be sporting custom grillz on his teeth? Yeah, we didn’t realize the fervor around this queer Canadian hockey show could get even more intense, but the extremely dedicated fans keep proving us wrong!

Buggin’ over Joe Keery

Stranger Things star Joe Keery caught a stray online when a fan account posted a video of a bug crawling on the red carpet with the caption, “Joe Keery attends the 2026 Met Gala.” To be clear, Keery wasn’t actually there. The joke is a reference to the time a bug hitched a ride on his microphone while he performed as his indie-pop alter ego Djo, and since then, fans have continued to run with the lore that bugs love him.

Gwendoline Christie resurrects spooky season

Gwendoline Christie carried a sword when she starred in Game of Thrones, but she decided to bring another accessory—albeit a similarly terrifying one—to the 2026 Met Gala. The Wednesday actor toted a haunting mask of her own face to go along with her striking red ensemble, which one social media user said is going to give him nightmares. We don’t blame him one bit.

Fun with faces

They may be faceless, but they’re not fashion-less. From Katy Perry’s face-obscuring headpiece to Tony-winning producer Jordan Roth’s smooth-faced mannequin accessory, there was a lot of creative license taken with faces on the red carpet. And the ensuing jokes put a smile on ours.

Hiding in plain sight

Some stars went to great lengths to keep their Met Gala looks under wraps until the last possible moment. Heated Rivalry star Hudson Williams ditched his clothes entirely, donning nothing but a bathrobe and exaggerated, smoky-eye makeup as he left his hotel on the way to the event. But calm down—he didn’t show up naked; he simply changed into his final outfit when he arrived. Another unidentified attendee enlisted an entire crew to move a privacy screen around them, along with multiple umbrellas to protect every angle from prying eyes (and paparazzi). How many people does it take to keep a Met Gala look secret? Guess we now know.

A night at the museum

Heidi Klum keeps her prosthetics team booked and busy. The queen of jaw-dropping Halloween looks turned her talents to the Met Gala this year with one of the most on-theme ensembles of the night. Dressed as a marble statue, like something out of ancient Greco-Roman times, she leaned all the way in, fully blending her face into the dress and crown using impressive makeup and prosthetics work. Whether you think it’s beautiful or terrifying, you can’t deny that the Project Runway host fully commits to a theme—and she’d definitely blend in at the museum.

Dollar signs in Sarah Paulson’s eyes

Sarah Paulson didn’t put her money where her mouth is; she put her money where her…eyes are? Yeah, you read that right. The Ryan Murphy muse walked the carpet with a dollar bill covering the top half of her face, and it inspired some, well, rich jokes.

Fashion is art … and so is Photoshop

Sure, all eyes were on the stars who walked the red carpet. But some of the best jokes were about who didn’t go to the Met Gala, because the internet went wild, once again, with photoshopping people (like a recently eliminated Survivor favorite) and other things (like Project Hail Mary’s lovable alien, Rocky) onto the red carpet instead.

Age is nothing but a number for Bad Bunny

Now we know what Bad Bunny will look like in about 30 years. The Puerto Rican superstar showed up to the Met Gala aged way up, and somehow it only made him hotter to his fans. Now that’s an impressive talent.

Met Gala 2026: The latest celebrity arrivals, fashion's biggest moments & much more