Banned from the Met Gala? Naomi Campbell's drama with Anna Wintour unfolds

It's Met Monday, and celebrities from around the globe are currently preparing to walk the red carpet in their designer looks.

The Met Gala is held annually on the first Monday in May to benefit The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and celebrities from the worlds of entertainment, business and other domains support the Met's acquisitions and exhibitions on fashion. 

Supermodel Naomi Campbell, who has attended the gala for over two decades, has reportedly been banned from this year’s prestigious event.

The 54-year-old icon's apparent fallout with Met Gala host Anna Wintour has stirred speculation and drama ahead of the high-profile affair. 

Sources online have revealed that Wintour, the editor in chief of "Vogue" US, has not taken kindly to Campbell’s comments made at a fashion industry gathering in New York last month.

During her speech, Campbell appeared to throw shade at Wintour, sparking whispers of a rift between the two powerful figures of fashion.

"Naomi shot herself in the stiletto with that comment,” an insider told "The Sun".

“You don’t throw shade at the queen of fashion and still expect to walk her red carpet.”

Wintour, known for her unforgiving nature, reportedly holds grudges with an unmatched tenacity.

The same source emphasised, "It’s no coincidence. If Anna wants you out, you’re out. Simple as that."

Campbell’s absence from the Met Gala roster, an event where she has graced the red carpet for decades, has not gone unnoticed, adding fuel to the fire of speculation surrounding the rivalry.

The tension between the two is said to date back to a New York Fashion Week ceremony for Harlem’s Fashion Row, where Wintour made a pointed remark about Campbell's infamous tardiness.

During the event, Wintour said: “I am a very punctual person, and I have the honour of presenting tonight to someone who is often late.”

When Campbell, who arrived late, was presented with a Fashion Icon Award by "Harper’s Bazaar" editor-in-chief Samira Nasr instead, she cheekily addressed the audience, “It wasn’t my choice to have the other lady. I’d much rather have this.”

On a YouTube video that was released last week, Campbell hinted at her reluctance to continue attending the Met Gala, declaring: “It is my last. I can't. I'm too old. It’s too much for me, the anxiety.”

As she contemplated her attendance, she expressed uncertainty about how many Met Galas she had attended, suggesting it could be her 20th or 21st.

This year, the Met Gala will resonate with the theme "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style", an exploration inspired by Monica L. Miller’s influential 2009 book "Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity". 

This exhibition will delve into the profound significance of clothing and style within the formation of Black identities throughout the Atlantic diaspora, marking a return to menswear focus since the 2003 exhibit "Men in Skirts".

As the clock counts down to the 2025 Met Gala, where co-chairs will include notable figures such as Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton and Pharrell Williams, Wintour’s host committee is poised to celebrate the rich tapestry of Black Style.

Yet, the absence of Campbell, an emblem of fashion herself, serves as a stark reminder of the power dynamics that shape this illustrious event.