The most awkward Met Gala moments of all time, ahead of the 2022 ball

The 2022 Met Gala is almost upon us (yay!), coming to New York City on Monday 2nd May. And, better than the actual fashion, the annual event in the celebrity calendar usually means one thing: lots and lots of awkward moments.

We're expecting many more to come as of 2022 but, for now, we're taking a trip down memory lane. From Kylie Jenner looking outrageously bored sitting next to Ryan Reynolds in 2017, to Jay Z and Solange's bust up in 2014 and Bennifer's 2021 mask kiss, let's look back at the most awkward Met Ball moments from years gone by.

1. When co-host Keke Palmer didn't know who Brooklyn Beckham was, 2021

Ouch, it doesn't get much more awkward than this. 2021 co-host Keke Palmer didn't *quite* seem to know who Brooklyn Beckham was, and it was about as cringeworthy as you'd expect.

Interviewing Brooklyn and now-wife Nicola Peltz for Vogue's live stream, Keke mentioned that she and Nicola already knew each other before turning to Brooklyn and asking, "Where are you from?" - as though he was some actual stranger.

2. When Kylie Jenner couldn't have looked less interested in Ryan Reynolds, 2017

The best moment from the 2017 ceremony has got to be when pictures emerged of Kylie Jenner looking very, very bored next to Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively during dinner. Not enjoying the power couple trolling each other, Ky?

3. When Jay-Z and Solange Knowles had a bust up in a lift, 2014

Yep. *That* infamous lift fight, which Jay-Z and Beyonce's dad have since confirmed was about rumours the rapper had cheated on Beyonce, was at a Met Gala afterparty in 2014.

4. J Lo and Ben Affleck's mask kiss, 2021

Bennifer made sure to stay very on trend with the pandemic in 2021, posing for pics while kissing through their actual face masks. Yes, really. Here's hoping there were no tongues as we don't even want to think about what licking the inside of a mask feels like.

5. When Frank Ocean brought a green robot baby as his plus one, 2021

We won't pretend to be ~artistic~ enough to understand all the fashion choices of the rich and famous, but Frank Ocean's 2021 green robot baby was really a treat. The singer dyed his hair a matching shade of bright green, but the significance behind the whole thing still remains a mystery tbh.

6. When Rihanna's dress launched a thousand memes, 2015

You can always rely on Rihanna to make a statement with her dress. Albeit it a cheese and tomato-y statement that sparks all the memes.

7. When Hayden Panettiere fell down the stairs on the red carpet, 2014

Just before this photo was taken, the Heroes star slipped down the Met Gala stairs and ended up on the floor. Oops!

8. When Rita Ora, Jimmy Fallon and Taika Waititi had a play fight on the red carpet, 2021

Turns out even the celebs feel awkward posing for pics from time to time, with Rita Ora, Jimmy Fallon and Taika Waititi trying to liven things up with a bit of play fighting on the 2021 Met red carpet. The pics wound up being incredibly cringe, and the live footage was, yep, even worse...

9. When someone streaked down the red carpet, 2014

Renowned Ukrainian prankster Vitalii Sediuk streaked down the red carpet in 2014 wearing a gold chain and a pink mankini. We imagine this went down as badly as some of these acceptance speeches..

10. When Rihanna shaded everyone for not taking the theme seriously, 2017

Each year the Met Gala adopts a high fashion theme, and in 2017, Rihanna threw subtle shade at everyone who didn't take it seriously. The theme was 'Rei Kawakubo/Comme des Garçons: Art of the In-Between', and while Rihanna took the theme seriously with her flawless ensemble, many celebrities opted for more plain outfits.

Buzzfeed reported Rihanna threw expert levels of shade at everyone else on the night by liking a meme on Instagram that began circling the internet during the evening, poking fun at how boring most of the evening's looks were.

11. When Reese Witherspoon couldn't pronounce Cara Delevingne's last name, 2014

(Skip to 0.39 to watch the video)

Cara shared a hilarious clip from the 2014 on her Met Gala, which showed a seemingly drunk Reese Witherspoon, Zoey Deschanel and Kate Upton attempting to pronounce her last name. Oops.

12. When Jennifer Lawrence photobombed Sarah Jessica Parker, 2013

Despite not *actually* knowing each other, Jennifer Lawrence crashed Sarah Jessica Parker's photo opportunity by holding onto her headpiece, and the result was hilarious.

13. When Bella Hadid walked the same catwalk as ex The Weeknd and Selena Gomez, 2017

At the 2016 Met Gala, The Weeknd and Bella Hadid looked loved up and cute as they walked the red carpet together. Come 2017, The Weeknd and new girlfriend (now ex) Selena Gomez took centre stage following his split from Bella, while the model took her mum Yolanda Hadid as her date instead.

14. When Jaden Smith brought his old hair as his date, 2017

Speaking to US Vogue's André Leon about his unusual look on the night, Jaden explained: "I've gone for the Dracula look today. And since I couldn't bring my sister as a date, I brought my old hair."

Ok then.

15. When Jenni Konner, Lena Dunham, and Joe Jonas wore the same outfit, 2017

What better way to celebrate turning up wearing the same outfit as two other celebrities than posing for a pic all together? Amazing.

16. When you felt like you'd seen Kendall and Kylie's lewks before, 2019

2022, we can't wait.

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