Fashion icon Naomi Campbell has apparently been banned from attending this year’s Met Gala due to her ongoing feud with Vogue’s editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour.
The reports come just ahead of the 2025 instalment of the fashion event, which will take place on Tuesday at New York City’s Metropolitan Museum of Art under the theme of Superfine: Tailoring Black Style.
While Campbell — who has graced the cover of Vogue a whopping 66 times — has long been a mainstay on the Met Gala guest list, that status might be in jeopardy because of comments made by the model about Wintour late last year.
Naomi Campbell claps back at Anna Wintour after Wintour commented on her being late to show where she was supposed to present Naomi with an award.
Wintour reportedly had to leave and gave the award to Samira Nasr to present, which Naomi said she preferred over “the other lady.” pic.twitter.com/GVwa8VUKtx
— Pop Base (@PopBase) September 4, 2024
If you recall, the pair had a terse exchange during a New York Fashion Week show in September, where Wintour made mention of Campbell being late to the event.
“I am a very punctual person, and I have the honour of presenting tonight to someone who is often late,” Wintour said to a roomful of guests when introducing Campbell.
Since she’s not afraid of a celebrity beef (just ask Tyra Banks), Campbell hit back by referring to Wintour as “the other lady” and saying she would “much rather have this” while gesturing towards Samira Nasr, who eventually presented her with an award.
That moment, seemingly ripped from The Devil Wears Prada, is the supposed reason behind Campbell’s absence at the upcoming Met Gala, since Wintour notoriously presides over the guest list with Miranda Priestly-level scrutiny.
“Naomi shot herself in the stiletto with that comment,” a source told The Sun.
“You don’t throw shade at the queen of fashion and still expect to walk her red carpet.”
According to the insider, Wintour “doesn’t forget or forgive” and if she “wants you out, you’re out”. Yep, spoken like a true Miranda Priestly diva.
Wintour’s decision to remove Campbell, who has attended the Met Gala 21 times, was apparently a “way of reminding [everyone] who runs the show”, since Campbell’s “absence from the list hasn’t gone unnoticed”.
Whether or not she appears on the famous Met steps remains to be seen, but Campbell did flag last year that her attendance at future instalments wasn’t guaranteed.
“It is my last”, Campbell said of her appearance at the 2024 Met Gala in a recent episode of her Being Naomi YouTube series.
“I can’t… I’m too old. It’s too much for me, the anxiety.”
Honestly fair enough, because if I was rubbing shoulders with the world’s most famous people in garish costumes, I’d promptly pop out for a much-needed vape, Doja Cat-style.
Whatever the case, it wouldn’t be the first time Wintour has given someone the (likely gold-crusted) boot, with Zayn Malik, Tina Fey, Amy Schumer and Donald Trump all rumoured to have been banned from the Met Gala over the years.
Anyway, check back in tomorrow when this year’s edition of The Hunger Games… sorry, the Met Gala, gets underway.
Lead images: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
