To make a reunion with an ex at the Met Gala short ‘n’ sweet or avoid it entirely?
That is the question.
One that the likes of Sabrina Carpenter and Miley Cyrus may have been contemplating May 5 at the “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style”-themed fundraiser benefiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute.
Because while Sabrina was hitting the carpet in her pantsless Louis Vuitton suit and Miley appeared looking ready for retrofuturistic battle in a cropped Alaïa leather jacket, their respective exes of not so long ago (Barry Keoghan, in Valentino) and many years past (Patrick Schwarzenegger, in Balmain) were also in the house.
And while it’s unclear if Sabrina and Barry—who were a couple at the 2024 Met Gala but broke up in December—interacted, there’s little doubt that Patrick glimpsed Miley, a decade after they dated amid one of her breaks from eventual ex-husband Liam Hemsworth.
All of these exes appeared to be flying solo last night, Miley without boyfriend Maxx Morando and Patrick without fiancée Abby Champion, but no one was there to come in like a wrecking ball.
Because, while certain rules and protocol have been relaxed over the years, attending the Met Gala remains a study in poise. And no matter how many selfies are sneaked in the bathroom, no one really wants to provoke Anna Wintour‘s ire.
Year after year, celebrities teetering on sky-high heels have to cross what must feel like an interminably long carpet as flashes are flickering away and reporters are simultaneously shouting for a second of their time, often while trying to stay out of the way of a 12-foot train (either theirs or someone else’s) and not be poked in the eye by an intense piece of headgear.
And that’s before the attendees have even reached the stairs, the balance beam of posing apparatuses.
But the entrance gauntlet isn’t the only moment that will call for composure, grace under pressure, a steely smile and cat-like reflexes.
As is so often the case when a guest list is this massive (while still, somehow, being exclusive), more often than not you’re going to run into people you know, and perhaps even a person or two that you’ve dated.
And since this isn’t your BFF’s housewarming party and she’ll totally understand if you don’t want to go because her husband’s best friend is your ex-boyfriend and he’s going to be there, you’re just going to have to suck it up and prepare to be annoyed.
Or maybe…you’re a little excited to see your ex, no matter how serious or not you two ever were.
Happily, this isn’t to be confused with an accidental run-in at CVS. This is the Met Gala, so chances are you’re going to look absolutely fabulous. Which as we all know is really more important than anything else in the moment, including whether or not you’ve brought a date or are in another relationship.
Not letting anything—including an impending trip to Paris to testify next week against the people accused of robbing her in 2016—get in the way of her now-routine appearances at the Met Gala, Kim Kardashian had no qualms about catching up with ex-boyfriend Pete Davidson (whom she met at the event in 2021) in 2023.
Or you’re Madonna, who for multiple years kept seeing ex Alex Rodriguez at these things with Jennifer Lopez and in all likelihood couldn’t care less. (And she never stopped coming—and was there last night, in fact!)
Two ghosts of A-Rod’s past were in the house in 2017, Madonna and Kate Hudson. But the baseball star turned Fox Sports broadcaster last appeared at the Met Gala in 2019 and has avoided the event since he and Lopez ended their engagement in 2021—whether she’s been there (as she was with Ben Affleck just months later at the pandemic-delayed September event, then again in 2023 and 2024) or not.
Proving that all was water under the bridge back in 2018—a big year for exes in each other’s midst—were Kate Bosworth and Alexander Skarsgård, who once upon a time were a super-hot It couple and were inclined to pose for a slickly cool photo together at an after-party. (Kate was by then married to filmmaker Michael Polish and was later to marry Justin Long.)
Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield, who attended together in 2014 and broke up in 2015 after almost four years of dating, were also both there in 2018. Each attended solo but there was no evidence of the two hanging out at the ball or one of the myriad after-parties.
Still, they’re famous for their amiable post-split ways, Andrew telling E! News in 2017, “I’m nothing but supportive and her biggest fan.”
Dipping back even further into the memory bank, Emma and ex-boyfriend circa 2011 Kieran Culkin looked like best buds at the 2022 Met Gala, perhaps chatting about their respective spouses and kids.
“She’s a really wonderful person,” Kieran said of Emma last year, talking to E! News about her being one of the producers of A Real Pain. Agreeing to make the film, which resulted in his Golden Globe, SAG Award and Oscar wins for Best Supporting Actor, the Succession alum added, “I’m going into a situation where the producers are going to be great. And where the filmmaker [Jesse Eisenberg] will be nice, too. It was good.”
At least Anna Wintour and those she’s tasked with the oh-so-important job of making the seating chart know better than to put hard feelings at the same table.
Also, a VIP Met Gala attendee can easily find out ahead of time who, exactly, is expected and mentally prepare accordingly—but then along comes the occasional wild card to rattle the red carpet.
Amber Heard was also in attendance in 2018, post-split from Johnny Depp and pre-Depp vs. Heard, but it was her ex-boyfriend Elon Musk who dominated the chatter by showing up with Grimes, the future mother of three of his children.
Elon and Amber didn’t visibly connect at any point during the night, perhaps the natural progression of things after, as Musk said in November 2017, “she broke up with me more than I broke up with her, I think.”
Speaking to biographer Walter Isaacson, Elon later called his relationship with Amber “brutal,” followed by “18 months of unrelenting insanity” he found “mind-bogglingly painful.”
Then there are the possible reunions that fall outside the ex box, though they have the potential to be just as awkward.
Bella Hadid cordially greeted her former stepfather of four years David Foster when they spied each other on the stairs outside the 2018 Met Gala—though neither she nor sister Gigi Hadid seemed to have anything to do with Foster’s then-girlfriend, Katharine McPhee. Foster and Yolanda Hadid separated in 2015 and the 16-time Grammy winner was making his red carpet debut with McPhee, whom he married in 2019.
Also steering clear of each other: the accidentally color-coordinated first and second Mrs. Ryan Reynolds.
Scarlett Johansson, who famously made no red carpet appearances with Ryan while they were married, made it Met Gala-official with future husband Colin Jost in 2018, while Blake Lively and her decadent train (which needed its own party bus to get to the gala) made a night of it on her own.
And Blake, a Met Gala favorite with a date or without, needed no escort to dominate social media: According to analytics compiled by Talkwalker, she was the most mentioned celebrity of the whole night with 180,900 mentions.
Alas, absent from the event since cochairing it in 2022, Blake didn’t make her grand return in 2025.
But ultimately, the Met Gala is a night for everyone to wear their big-girl (and -boy) pants, to show that one can’t be fazed by the prospect—or the reality—of running into an ex.
Wearing millions of dollars’ worth of diamonds and haute couture certainly helps. Fashion isn’t compared to armor for nothing.
And whether they’re each other’s forever-dates or are just part of a moment in time, these are the couples who attended the 2025 Met Gala:
Russell Wilson and Ciara
“It’s our first time at the Met Gala together,” Ciara (in LaQuan Smith) revealed of attending with the New York Giants quarterback. “I was a little giddy tonight because he was getting prepared in one room, I was in the other. And so we saw each other after we got dressed.”
Adrien Brody and Georgina Chapman
Fresh off his second Oscar win, The Brutalist star and his designer love (in a custom duchess satin piece from her own Marchesa brand) recreated one of their favorite date nights.
Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra
Spotted: The actress (in Olivier Roustein with Bulgari jewels) returning to the Met Gala with her musician husband eight years after they both attended as guests of Ralph Lauren.
Valentina Ferrer and J. Balvin
Mom and Dad made it a date night, with the Marc Jacobs-clad “6 AM” singer thinking pink and the Argentine model going glam in black.
Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz
Enjoying a night out in the concrete jungle where dreams are made of, the married pair served up stripes.
Colin Kapernick and Nessa Diab
Walking the steps with his longtime partner, the former NFL quarterback scored in a caped ensemble.
Callum Turner and Dua Lipa
Dare we say the singer had us levitating when she made her red carpet debut (in Chanel) with the actor.
Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee
The filmmaker supported his beloved New York Knicks when working the steps with his favorite teammate, wife Tonya.
Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade
“I was like, ‘Baby,'” Gabrielle (in Prada) joked to E!’s Zuri Hall of her first look at the retired NBA star’s sleek ‘fit, calling it, “super fine, super hot, super tailored.”
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owen
Ahead of their wedding anniversary, the Olympian and the NFL safety scored feeling, as the gymnast told E!, “fine, dandy and royal.” Added Jonathan, “Just really wanted to feel like royalty.”
James Corden and Julia Carey
The late night host and his wife struck a sharp contrast in black and white looks.
Debbie Allen and Norm Nixon
Inspired by a recent outing to see Denzel Washington in Othello, the Grey’s Anatomy star and the former NBA standout took to the steps for the very first time in ensembles put together by costume designer Paul Tazewell.
Pharrell Williams and Helen Lasichanh
Yes, they understood the assignment: While Helen went bold in a black bodysuit, the Louis Vuitton Men’s Creative Director described his branded ‘fit to E! as “pinstripe pearls.”
Check out E!’s Met Gala homepage for every must-see look from fashion’s biggest night and all the behind-the-scenes moments you might have missed. And watch E! News Tuesday, May 6, at 11 p.m. for a full 2025 Met Gala recap.
