Keke Palmer has turned heads on the steps of the 2023 Met Gala, sporting a custom sequinned Sergio Hudson dress and a turquoise shawl. The Nope actress paired the tweed dress with eye-popping pink jewellery and a long train that doubled as a cape. It marks Palmer’s first major public appearance since giving birth to her first child, Leodis, in February. Speaking of new motherhood on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum with Entertainment Tonight, Palmer said she is “enjoying life.”
“I’m very grateful. I have so much to be thankful for and so I’m just trying to enjoy every moment of it,” the actress added. Elaborating on her son with E! News, Palmer said it “feels insane” to attend the Met Gala after having a child. “But also so much more easy and breezy, because nothing is harder than having a damn baby!”. Palmer first revealed her pregnancy while making her debut as a host of Saturday Night Live in February.
Palmer’s shimmering Met Gala appearance — helped along by the some 12,000 Swarovski crystals that adorned her dress — marks her second attendance to the coveted celebrity fashion event, having made her debut as Vogue’s 2021 red carpet presenter. That year saw Palmer birth what would become one of the internet’s most enduring soundbites, following an interaction between herself and Megan Thee Stallion.
The actress also made waves in 2021 for sharing an image of the food at the Met Gala event, captioning the post with “this is why they don’t show ya’ll the food.” Referencing her 2021 hosting duties, one Twitter user wrote: “Bring Keke Palmer back to host the Met red carpet. No one is cutting it [this year]. Not a single soul holding that mic is doing it.” An outpouring of fans seemed to agree, likewise calling for Palmer to be reinstated since she was responsible for “one of the most viral Mets ever.”
Elsewhere in 2023 Met Gala news, Doja Cat appeared on the carpet with feline facial prosthetics, thought to be in reference to Karl Lagerfeld’s much-loved pet. The designer — upon whom this year’s Met Gala theme is based — has attracted renewed controversy given his previous stance on plus-sized models and opposition to the #MeToo movement. “This man… used his platform is such a distinctly hateful way,” actress Jameela Jamil said of Lagerfeld in a social media post explaining her Met Gala absence, “so repeatedly and up until the last years of his life.”
Stay up to date with We Got This Covered’s 2023 Met Gala coverage — including red carpet looks from Serena Williams, Vanessa Hudgens and Jenna Ortega — here.