Pop Culture

EJ Johnson Shades 2026 Met Gala: 'The Graveyard This Event Has Become'

The media personality and socialite called out the "awful" red carpet fashion.

EJ Johnson at the BOOM Met Gala After Party held at BOOM on May 04, 2026 in New York, New York.
Image via Christopher Polk/WWD via Getty Images

EJ Johnson wasn’t a fan of this year’s Met Gala.

In an Instagram reel, the reality television star and socialite, who’s the child of Magic and Cookie Johnson, discussed the 2026 Met Gala looks they thought were misses at the Monday (May 4) event.

“We need to talk about the Met Gala. We need to talk about the graveyard that this event has become,” EJ Johnson began. “Oh, my God.”

The reel included images of actress Blake Lively, pop singer Katy Perry, model Cara Delevingne, and more.

“It was just that, all the looks were just awful on awful and awful, and then a little more awful,” Johnson continued.

The 33-year-old then explained that “we have to look for the girls who are actually coming in and doing it,” regardless of their popularity.

“That’s gonna be the next wave of the bomb people and the cool people, of the style people,” they said. “The people who are getting it right.”

Johnson said “the names are not naming,” meaning that in their opinion, prominent celebrities attending the event weren’t the best-dressed.

“The only one who came to work was Emma Chamberlain, honey,” Johnson said of the 24-year-old influencer who wore hand-painted, custom Mugler gown. “She gave us that vintage Mugler, which was so beautiful on her.”

Johnson also argued that “no one was even trying” despite the “heavy-hitters” in attendance, including Beyoncé, Rihanna, and Kim Kardashian, all of whom they felt “fell short.”

The “it girls” like Hailey Bieber, Gigi Hadid, and Zoë Kravitz also left Johnson feeling underwhelmed.

“The vibes were not vibing at the Met Gala,” Johnson continued, going on to compare Beyoncé to the Grim Reaper and animated supervillain Skeletor.

“Let the Met Ball go,” Johnson said. “I’m gonna shed a tear right now if I can.”

Check out who Complex thought was the best-dressed at Met Gala here.

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