There are very few events that manage to bring together Kim Kardashian in Balenciaga face masks, Jared Leto carrying his own head, and Rihanna dressed as a literal fashion pope. The Met Gala isn’t just a red carpet; it’s the carpet.It’s the Super Bowl of fashion, the Oscars’ cooler cousin, and the one Monday in May that even people who don’t care about clothes suddenly care a lot.
So when the Met Gala doesn’t happen, the fashion world doesn’t just sigh—it gasps. And believe it or not, there have been years when the glittering doors of the Metropolitan Museum of Art stayed shut, the stairs remained untouched by stilettos, and Anna Wintour’s signature bob wasn’t seen anywhere near Fifth Avenue.

2020

The year of banana bread, TikTok dances, and Zoom fatigue. It was also the year when everything got canceled—including the Met Gala. Originally scheduled for May 4, 2020, the theme was set to be “About Time: Fashion and Duration”—an eerily fitting title, given how time basically lost all meaning that year.
The pandemic had just taken hold in New York, and with health concerns skyrocketing, the Met made the painful but necessary decision to postpone and ultimately cancel the event. For fashion lovers, it felt like prom got called off and nobody even got to show off their dress. Celebs posted throwback pics of their past Met looks, and fans mourned what could have been on Instagram. No red carpet. No drama. No outrageous fashion moments to argue about on Twitter.
Even Vogue tried to keep the spirit alive by airing a virtual event, “A Moment With the Met,” but let’s face it—watching a livestream at home in sweatpants isn’t quite the same as watching Zendaya arrive dressed as Cinderella with a glowing gown and a stylist-turned-fairy-godmother.

2002

Let’s rewind to 2002—a year when the world was still reeling from the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Understandably, New York was healing, and the Met Gala, which usually brings in high-glam energy and opulence, took a respectful pause.
The event was quietly shelved as the city focused on recovery, solidarity, and finding its new normal. Fashion can be fabulous, but it’s also deeply human—and this was one of those moments when even the most stylish heels had to step aside.

Interestingly, the Costume Institute still opened an exhibition that year titled “Extreme Beauty: The Body Transformed”, but without the usual fanfare or red-carpet gala to kick it off. It was a more introspective, toned-down season for fashion, and one that reminded everyone that even in an industry known for extravagance, empathy still takes center stage.

Is the Met Gala too big to cancel now?

After 2020, the Met Gala bounced back hard. In 2021, despite ongoing COVID concerns, it returned—just later in the year, in September. The theme? “In America: A Lexicon of Fashion.” It was a slightly scaled-down version of its usual self, with fewer attendees and safety protocols in place. But still, fashion was back—and boy, did it show up.
That raised a big question: Is the Met Gala now too big to fail? With its power to dominate headlines, drive fashion trends, and raise millions for the Costume Institute, it’s hard to imagine the event going MIA again anytime soon. In many ways, it’s become more than a party—it’s a cultural checkpoint.
Ironically, the years without the Met Gala have only made the event more iconic. The pauses reminded us how much we love this night of absurdity, ambition, and sheer creative chaos. They made us appreciate the weirdness of Jared Leto and the elegance of Zendaya just that much more.
So next time you see someone complaining that Doja Cat meowed too much or that someone wore something “too simple,” just remember—there were years when none of it happened. No themes, no stairs, no fashion fever. And that silence? It made the comeback all the more powerful.