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Meryl Streep will not be attending the 2026 Met Gala, even as she remains closely linked to the fashion world through her role in The Devil Wears Prada 2.
On Monday, May 4, celebrities from around the globe are set to gather on the steps of The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City for fashion's biggest night. While some of her co-stars from the upcoming sequel may make appearances, Streep herself will not be among the attendees. In fact, despite years of invitations, she has never attended the event.
According to her representative, the decision reflects personal preference rather than lack of appreciation. Streep respects Vogue and its longtime editor Anna Wintour, but the gala has simply never aligned with her interests or comfort.
This year's event coincides with the museum's spring exhibition titled "Costume Art," which introduces the Costume Institute's first permanent gallery spaces. The dress code, "Fashion Is Art," reflects the exhibition's central idea that clothing and the human form are deeply connected across artistic disciplines. Curator Andrew Bolton has described fashion as a unifying thread throughout the museum, emphasizing that the dressed body plays a central role in nearly every gallery.
Although Streep has never attended the Met Gala, she was previously announced as a co-chair for the 2020 event alongside Wintour, Nicolas Ghesquière, Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Emma Stone. That year's exhibition, "About Time: Fashion and Duration," was ultimately canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, however, Streep has found herself more immersed in fashion than ever before while reprising her role as Miranda Priestly. During filming, she attended Milan Fashion Week, marking her first real-life fashion show experience. She described the moment as exciting and unexpectedly theatrical, noting that it gave her new insight into the world her character inhabits.
Dressed in character, she wore a striking camel-colored latex trench coat paired with bold accessories while seated in the front row at a Dolce & Gabbana show. Adding a playful touch, she joked about her character's signature sunglasses, saying they made it impossible for others to tell where she was looking.
The moment was made even more memorable by her proximity to Wintour, who famously inspired her character in the original film. The two also appear together on the cover of Vogue, where Streep reflects on returning to one of her most iconic roles.
